Determination and Evaluation Employing Multivariate Analysis of the Mineral Composition of Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. Italica)

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. Italica) is a vegetable food that belongs to the family Cruciferaceae, and it is a good source of vitamins and minerals. Among other characteristics, the kind of culture (conventional or organic), the climate of origin, and the way a vegetal will be consumed influence directly in the concentrations of minerals. The aim of this work was to determine mineral composition (Fe, Mn, Zn, K, Ca, Mg, and Na) of 16 broccoli samples collected in four cities of Bahia, Brazil, in summer and winter, from organic and conventional cultures. These elements were also determined in a lot of raw and cooked summer samples and then all results were evaluated using multivariate analysis. Broccoli samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry after digestion with HNO3 and H2O2. The results expressed as milligrams of element per 100 g of sample demonstrated that the concentration ranges for conventional and organic broccoli varied, respectively, from 0.13 to 0.90 and 0.14–1.18, for iron; from 0.15 to 1.79 and 0.04–1.40, for manganese; from 0.20 to 1.58 and 0.17–1.28, for zinc; from 317.65 to 484.45 and 321.58–521.78 for potassium; from 7.14 to 153.50 and 9.38–131.55, for calcium; from 21.09 to 47.15 and 29.51–61.23, for magnesium; from 3.66 to 21.21 and 1.89–27.09 for sodium. The accuracy of the method was confirmed by analysis of a certified reference material of spinach leaves (NIST 1570a). The statistical evaluation of the obtained results showed that broccoli samples were not differentiated by city of origin, station, or culture. Nevertheless, by comparing raw and cooked samples, it was noticed a tendency of separation in the principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis.