Study of chemical elements content in vegetable herbs and spices of Uzbekistan

Relevance. It is generally recognized that for the normal functioning of a healthy person, the regular intake of sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals with food is necessary. Every year vitamin and mineral complexes are becoming more and more popular. Macro- and micronutrients in combination with hormones, vitamins, amino acids and enzymes play an important role in the metabolism of the body and their interaction determines the normal course of physiological processes. Any disorders of micronutrient balance, whether as a result of any disease or other causes of imbalance, need to be corrected. One of the correction methods may be to correct the imbalance by adding appropriate spices and vegetable herbs containing the necessary micronutrients to the food. Material and methods. The content of macronutrients in different plants is characterized by relatively close values, while the content of micronutrients varies greatly. Such specificity of plants on their qualitative and quantitative structure causes interest of their use in practical medicine. The aim of the present study is to investigate the macro- and micronutrient composition of various vegetable herbs and spices. Results. The neutron activation analysis method was used to study the macro- and micronutrient composition of vegetable herbs and spices used in the Central Asian cuisine. It was shown that celery, mint and basil are the richest in qualitative and quantitative content of elements (Co, Fe, Mn, Mo, Rb, Se, Zn) among vegetable herbs. The highest content of iron among spices was found in turmeric -4 mg/g and cumin (zira) - 0.58 mg/g. Conclusion. The use of such spices and vegetable herbs not only improves the taste quality of cooked food, but also makes it possible to eliminate the imbalance of elements in the human body.

vegetable herbs, spices, macro- micronutrients, neutron activation analysis