Ad. Semwal et al., METAL CONTENTS IN SOME OF THE PROCESSED FOODS AND THEIR EFFECT ON THESTORAGE STABILITY OF PRECOOKED DEHYDRATED FLAKED BENGALGRAM-DHAL, Journal of Food Science and Technology, 32(5), 1995, pp. 386-390
Mineral composition of some convenience food products like pre-cooked,
and dehydrated vegetable pulav, instant halwa mix, instant upma mix,
preserved chapati, spiced potato chapati, instant spiced dhals, alu ch
holay, rice noodles, chikki and canned curried meat has been investiga
ted. The levels of sodium, potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, manganese,
and copper were found to vary between 42-26,000, 130-6710,17.4-725, 39
-170, 6.7-36.6, 1.8-19.2 and 1.6-17.0 ppm, respectively, in these proc
essed foods. In commercially procured, and stored canned curried meat,
tin, copper and zinc were found to vary between 60-152, 1.2-12.4, and
15.3-38.8 ppm, respectively. The levels of nickel, iron and copper we
re found to vary between 0.40-8.70, 0.80-8.20 and 0.015-0.025 ppm, res
pectively, in different commercial brands of vanaspati, whereas nickel
content was found to vary from 1.10-2.10 ppm in different commercial
brands of chocolates. In dehydrated flaked dhal sodium chloride exhibi
ted slight pro-oxygenic activity, but copper, iron and cobalt exhibite
d strong pro-oxygenic activity. Only at 500 ppm level, nickel exhibite
d marginal antioxygenic activity.