Effect of consumption of commercially available vegetables and fruits with calcium rich foods

Abstract

The human body receives the required calcium content through foods and beverages. However, some vegetables and fruits may interfere with the calcium sorption to the body due to the presence of inhibitors such as phytates, oxalates, and citric acid, etc. This work is focused to study some commonly consumed vegetables and fruits that could inhibit the calcium sorption process. Commercially available vegetables, and fruits were studied by varying calcium concentration and contact time. The calcium sorption efficiencies were measured by immersing cut (~1 cm2) vegetables and fruit samples in calcium test standard solutions and in calcium-rich milk solution prepared by commercially available non-fat milk at different time intervals. The results revealed that spinach and navel orange have demonstrated the highest calcium sorption efficiencies which ranged (10.01 ± 0.02) mg to (18.68 ± 0.46) mg and (3.85 ± 1.09) mg to (5.09 ± 0.32) mg per 10 g sample, respectively for 1-hour sorption in 100 ppm calcium standard test solution. This increase of calcium sorption could be due to the presence of oxalate in spinach and citric acid or ascorbic acid in orange which could bind with calcium effectively. This study further revealed that calcium sorption from milk by vegetables and fruits increases as a function of time. Therefore, it is highly recommended not to consume calcium-rich foods within two hours of the main meal which contains vegetables and fruits as it would cause adverse effects on the human body due to calcium deficiency.