The Effect of Different Processing Methods on the Behavior of Minerals Content in Food Products.

The goal of the current study was to determine the mineral content of different fruit varieties (Na, K, Ca, P, Mg, Fe, Zn, and Cu), as well as the effects of various processing methods (such as canning, drying, stewing, syrup process, and concentration of juices). All tested fruits that were subjected to various types of processing were exposed to a degree of mineral loss, varying from very little to high reduction. However, it still retains its nutritional value. All fig products have the greatest levels of most tested minerals, compared to other processed fruit products, particularly P and Fe. In turn, orange products supply higher quantities of Ca. On the other hand, apricot products have a comparable value of other minerals with those found in fig and orange products. Among canned juices, guava had the highest contents of Ca, P, and Fe, while mango scored the first juice as Mg and Zn supplying. Canned apricot halves contain the best amounts of K, Ca, P and Mg than the same products of apple and peach. Among jam products, fig jam has higher amounts of Na, Ca, P, Mg, and Fe than those found in other fruit jams. The concentration of fruit juices by vacuum-heating or dehydration of fruit produced higher mineral retentions than the fruit products that were processed by other techniques. The concentrated orange juice by vacuum-heating processing retained most of the minerals found in raw juice, also dried apricot sheet retained higher minerals than those retained in dehydrated whole apricot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]