International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition

Authors
Devi RC Bhanu, KK Sabu

Abstract
The human body requires small quantities of vitamins and mineral elements for its proper functioning. Fruits and vegetables are the major sources of these micronutrients in our diet. Among them, vitamins are susceptible to degradation during storage. Hence, fresh locally harvested fruits and vegetables can be considered superior to exotic store bought ones in terms of micronutrient content. In the present study, fruits of Syzygium zeylanicum (L.) DC. var. zeylanicum, an underutilized tree, were analysed for the presence of various micronutrients. The fruits contained good amounts of vitamin A (78.445 ± 0.0123 IU/100g), vitamin K (0.291 ± 0.001µg/ 100g) and vitamin C (18.201 ± 0.003 mg/100g). The B vitamins, vitamin D and vitamin E were found in trace amounts. The fruits were particularly rich in iron; the iron content being 1.67 ± 0.03 mg/100g.Whereas the sodium content (16.9 ± 0.15 mg/100g) was unusually high.