This document summarizes minerals and trace elements that are essential for human health. It discusses the main minerals including sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and their roles and daily requirements. It also outlines important trace elements like iron, copper, zinc, manganese and cobalt and their functions as components of enzymes or cofactors. Finally, it mentions some ultra-trace elements found in small amounts in the body including tin, aluminum, boron and arsenic and notes some of their roles and toxicity levels.

1. Minerals
IFSN
FST 303

2. Minerals
Constituents which remain as ash after the
combustion of plant and animal tissues.
• Main elements (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cl, P),
• Trace elements (Fe, I, F, Zn, Se, Cu, Mn, Cr, Mo,
Co, Ni)
• Ultra-trace elements (Al, As, Ba, Bi, B, Br, Cd,
Cs, Ge, Hg, Li, Pb, Rb, Sb, Si,, Ti, W)

3. Main Elements
Sodium
• The sodium content of the body is 1.4 g/kg.
• Present mostly as an extracellular constituent
• Maintains the osmotic pressure of the
extracellular fluid
• It activates some enzymes, such as amylase
• Absorption: Starts 3–6 min after intake and is
completed within 3 h.

4. Main Elements
• Daily Intake: Averages 2.5 g (females) to 3.3 g
(males)
• Too little or too much sodium can result in
serious disorders
• Hypertension – associated with high intake of
sodium

5. Main Elements
Potassium
• Concentration of potassium in the body is 2
g/kg.
• The most common cation in the intracellular
fluid
• Localized mostly within the cells.
• Regulates the osmotic pressure within the cell,
• Involved in cell membrane transport
• Activation of a number of glycolytic and
respiratory enzymes.

6. Main Elements
• The potassium intake in a normal diet is 2–5.9
g/day.
• The minimum daily requirement is estimated to
be 782 mg
• Deficiency associates with undernourishment
e.g. consumption of potassium-deficient foods,
e. g., white bread, fat or oil.
• Potatoes and molasses are particularly abundant
sources.

7. Main Elements
Magnesium (Life-supporting element)
• The concentration of magnesium in the body is 250
mg/kg.
• Constituent and activator of many enzymes,
particularly those associated with the conversion of
energy-rich phosphate compounds,
• Stabilizer of plasma membranes, intracellular
membranes, and nucleic acids
• In a normal diet, the daily intake is 300–500 mg.
• The daily requirement is 300– 400 mg.

8. Main Elements
Calcium
• The total amount of calcium in the body is about
1500 g.
• One of the most important minerals
• Involved in the structure of the muscular system and
controls essential processes like muscle contraction
(locomotor system, heartbeat) blood clotting,
activity of brain cells and cell growth.
• An adequate supply of vitamin D is required for the
absorption of calcium

9. Main Elements
Body Requirement:
• Birth to 6 months (0.4),
• 6 to 12 months (0.6),
• 1 to 5 years (0.8),
• 6 to 10 years (0.8–1.2),
• 11 to 24 years and pregnant women (1.2 to 1.5),
• 25 to 65 years (1.0)
• Above 65 years (1.5)

10. Main Elements
Phosphorus
• The total phosphorus content in the body is
about 700 g.
• The daily requirement is about 0.8–1.2 g.
• The Ca/P ratio in food should be about 1.
• Forms of availability: In the form of
phosphate, free or bound as an ester or
present as an anhydride

11. Main Elements
• Plays an important role in metabolism and, as
such, is an essential nutrient
• The organic forms of phosphorus in food are
cleaved by intestinal phosphatases and,
thereby, absorption occurs mostly in the
form of inorganic phosphate.
• Polyphosphates, used as food additives, are
absorbed only after prior hydrolysis into
orthophosphate.

12. Trace Elements
Individual Trace Elements
• Iron
• The iron content of the body is 4–5 g
• Present in Haemoglobin, myoglobin i.e. blood
and muscle tissue pigments
• Part of enzymes (peroxidase, catalase,
hydroxylases and flavine)
• Dietary intake must be in a range of 15mg/day

13. Trace Elements
• Intake variation: Depends on absorption
• Most utilizable source is iron in meat (20 - 30%
absorption)
• Less absorption from liver (6.3%), fish (5.9%)
and least from cereals (1.0-1.5%)
Absorption Interference:
• Eggs and Bran decrease absorption however;
Ascorbic acid increases absorption

14. Trace Elements
• Form of iron: FeSO4, ferrous gluconate and ferrous
glycerol phosphate are also efficiently absorbed
Copper:
• The amount of copper in the body is 80–100 mg
• Component of a number of oxidoreductase enzymes
(cytochrome oxidase, superoxide dismutase,
tyrosinase, uricase, amine oxidase
• In blood plasma, it is bound to ceruloplasmin,
• The daily copper requirement is 1–1.5 mg and it is
supplied in a normal diet.

15. Trace Elements
Zinc
• The total zinc content in adult human tissue is
2–4 g.
• Component of a number of enzymes (e. g.,
alcohol dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase,
malate dehydrogenase, glutamate
dehydrogenase, carboxypeptidases A and B, and
carbonic anhydrase)

16. Trace Elements
• Zinc act as activator for some enzymes e.g.
alkaline phosphatase, lecithinase and enolase
• The daily requirement of 5–10 mg is provided by
a normal diet (6–22 mg zinc/day)

17. Trace Element
Mn (Manganese)
• Body reserves: 10 – 40mg
• Metal activator: Activate various enzymes e.g.
arginase, alkaline phosphatase, amino peptidase,
lecithinase, enolase
• Non toxic even at higher amounts

18. Trace Element
Cobalt (Co)
• Body reserves: 1 – 2mg
• Central atom of cobalamine (B12)
Chromium (Cr)
• Concentration depends on region (6 – 12mg)
• Important in utilization of glucose
• Increase activity of enzymes and insulin

19. • Non toxic if used in the form of chromate ion at
a concentration of 25ppm
Nickel (Ni)
• Activator of numerous enzymes
• Enhance insulin activity
• Deficiency is observed to generate liver
mitochondrial changes

20. Fluorine (Fl)
• Body reserves : 2.6g
• Positive effects on prevention of tooth decay
(drinking water reserves in the range of 0.5 -
1.5ppm)
• Low levels (0.1 – 0.3ppm) yield growth and
reproduction losses
• Toxicity appears at amount upto 2ppm

21. Iodine
• Body Reserves: 10mg
• 70 - 80% of body iodine is covalently bonded
with thyroid glands.
• Absorbed in the form of iodide and utilized for
biosynthesis of thyroxine
• Deficiency results in enlargement of thyroid
glands
• Salt fortification is practices @ 100µg/ 1 -10g of
NaCl

22. Ultra Trace Elements
Tin
• Occurs in all human organs
• Natural level of food are very low but increases
during processing and packaging in tin material
• Higher levels are transmitted from high acid
foods packed in tin cans i.e. about 2g/l
• Tin contents in tin package should be below
50ppm and not exceed 250ppm

23. Ultra Trace Element
Aluminum
• Body reserves: 50 -150mg
• Reabsorbed in gastrointestinal tract in very
negligible amount
• Largest portion is excreted in feces
• Animal studies refer high level of aluminum feed
are non toxic.
• Recent data is reporting pathogenesis in cell and
CNS

24. Ultra Trace Element
Boron
• Highest concentration are found in heart
(28ppm) followed by ribs (10ppm), spleen
(2.6ppm) and liver(2.3ppm)
• Promote bone formation in association with
calcium, magnesium and vitamin D
Arsenic
• Involved in the metabolism of methionine
• Choline can be replaced by arsenocholine in
some of its function