MINERAL PROFILE OF LINGONBERRY (VACCINIUM VITIS-IDAEA L.), GROWING IN THE FOREST ZONE OF MAGADAN

Purpose. This study aimed to ascertain qualitative and quantitative mineral value of the Lingonberry fruit (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) that grows in the forest zone surrounding the city of Magadan. Materials and methods. Berry samples were collected from wild plants within the forest zone of Magadan city. Atomic emission spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry were used to determine amounts of twenty-five minerals and trace elements in the objects under study. Results and discussion. Amounts of Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, and Cu in the Lingonberry fruit (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) from the forest zone of Magadan tended to differ from similar variables available in database of chemical composition of those growing further in land of Russia, as well as Denmark, Norway, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. A 100 g portion of the Lingonberry berries proved to meet an adult’s daily requirements for manganese (3,1±0,3 мг%) by 155%; siliceous (1,5±0,2 мг%) by 29%; selenium (9,8±1,5 мкг%) by 14%; boron (80,5±0,8 мкг%) by 4%; potassium (66,5±0,7 мг%) and copper (0,03±0,004 мг%) by 3%; zinc (0,2±0,02 мг%) and chromium (0,9±0,09 мкг%) by 2%; calcium (8,6±0,8 мг%), magnesium (5,1±0,5 мг%), phosphorus (8,0±0,7 мг%), iron (0,1±0,01 мг%), cobaltous (0,1±0,01 мкг%), vanadium (0,1±0,01 мкг%), and lithium (0,1±0,01 мкг%) by 1%; iodine (0,2±0,02 мкг%) by 0.1%. Lingonberry fruit samples were analyzed for toxic and heavy metal levels and no accelerated maximum permitted concentration was found which confirmed ecological safety of the place of traditional berry picking by the population. Conclusion. The obtained data on qualitative and quantitative mineral facts about the wild Lingonberries that grow in the forest zone of the city of Magadan can add information available in domestic and foreign references on chemical contents of foods.