Study of the mineral content of natural or fruits yogurts from State of Sao Paulo, Brazil

The contents of the macrominerals Na, K, Ca, Mg, and P and the micromineral s Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Sn and Ni, present in 44 samples of natural or fruits yog urts, of 9 different brands, available in the commerce of Sao Paulo State, Brazil, were evaluated. Acid digestion assisted by microwave and the determ ination of the elements by inductively coupled argon plasma atomic emission spectrometry (lCP-OES) were employed. The results showed that the yogurts are good sources of Ca, P and K, reasonable sources of Na, Mg and Fe, and p oor sources of Zn and Cu. The multivariate analysis showed nonsignificant d ifferences among the brands and the flavors studied.