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Angola suffers from a high child mortality rate and a prevalence of anemia due to malnutrition. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the mineral content of 43 wild edible plants. A total of 24 different elements (aluminum, antimony, arsenic, cadmium, calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, lithium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, potassium, selenium, silicon, sodium, strontium, titanium, thallium, vanadium, zinc) were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy to identify nutritional beneficial and hazardous plants. For the majority of studied species (31 of 43) data lack completely. For the remaining, only macronutrient contents are published yet, determining their (ultra)trace element and heavy metal contents for the first time. None of the examined plants pose a risk to human health due to low heavy metal contents, seasonality, and low amounts of consumed plant parts. Iron and zinc rich plant parts, such as fruits of Canarium schweinfurthii, or leaves of Crassocephalum rubens, Solanum americanum, and Piper umbellatum could help combating deficiency syndromes. The genus Landolphia shows to be an aluminum hyperaccumulator with aluminum contents >1000 mg/kg. Results of this study serve as a database for upcoming research. The nutritional value of edible plants is evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • The highest contents in the three oligoelements were in fish group. • The lowest contents were in meat (I) and dairy products (Se and Fe). • Larges variations were observed for iodine and selenium contents in national FCDBs. • Iodine accounting for 40% RNI and selenium exceeds 1.5 times RNI. • Iron maximum contribution for RNI was in bovine meat. Abstract Iodine, selenium and iron are micronutrients essential for thyroid hormone synthesis causing their low plasma levels an additional risk of autoimmune thyroid diseases. A Portuguese TDS pilot study representative of diets in Portugal was carried out, since foods are the main natural sources of these micronutrients. Six hundred and twenty-four samples were collected based on local markets and later analysed in pools of ten meat samples, twenty-seven fish, nine chicken eggs and six cow dairy products. The iodine and selenium contents were determined using ICP-MS after alkaline (iodine) or acid digestion (selenium) and iron by ICP-OES after acid digestion. The highest content of three oligoelements was detected in fish. Meat had lower iodine content and the dairy products lower selenium and iron levels. Sardine presented significant different levels in summer and winter for iodine, and in summer and autumn for selenium, mackerel had diverse contents of iron in summer and autumn. The contribution of salmon and milk for iodine RNI was around 40%, for children and adults. Shrimp is also the food with more selenium, exceeding 1.5 times the % RNI for children and adults females, while iron maximum contribution was observed in meat for children and adult males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earth materials, such as clays, anthills and dried-up pond sediments, are consumed by humans as a means of supplementing essential elements and for protection against toxins. A two-stage physiologically based extraction test (PBET), simulating the human stomach and intestine, was used to estimate the human bioaccessibility of Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu. Extracts from these earth materials were analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to evaluate the relationships amongst bioaccessible element concentrations. The mean concentrations of elements for the stomach and intestinal phases were as follows; Fe, 0.94 and 0.20 ppm; Zn, 81.44 and 22.42 ppm; Mn, 10.10 and 1900 ppm; Cu, 24.93 and 230.04 ppm. Iron and Zn showed higher bioaccessibility under gastric conditions whilst Cu was bioaccessible only in the intestinal phase extract. Concentrations of Mn were the same in gastric and intestinal phases. There were strong associations between Zn, Fe and Mn. Some of the consumed earth materials could contribute to the daily recommended nutrient intake of Fe and provide a significant source of Mn and Cu for consumers of earth materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]