Edible plants enhanced with minerals were tested to determine whether these
plants could be used as a new source of mineral dietary supplements that p
rovide essential minerals in a more available form than current, inorganica
lly based mineral supplements. A select cultivar of Brassica juncea was ide
ntified that can be cultivated under hydroponic conditions to contain high
levels of nutritionally important minerals such as Cr, Fe, Mn, Se, and Zn.
Sequential extraction, simulated gastric fluid digestion, and simulated int
estinal fluid digestion were used to assess the degree of solubility and po
tential availability of each metal examined. Results from these solubility
experiments indicate that the accumulated trace elements achieve greater so
luble concentrations than those provided in popular mineral supplements. Th
e consistent high concentration of minerals in the edible plant tissue allo
ws processing small quantities of these enriched plants into capsules or ta
blets that supply 100% of the recommended daily intake of these elements in
soluble form from a natural, vegetative source. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science
Ltd. All rights reserved.