Comparison of mineral contents of mulberry (Morus spp.) fruits and their pekmez (boiled mulberry juice) samples.

Mineral contents of four mulberry fruits and their pekmez samples growing particularly in the Malatya province in Turkey were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. All samples contained high amounts of calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus and sulphur. The highest mineral concentrations for mulberry fruits were measured between 1,873.65 and 4,437.52 mg/kg for calcium, 10.860 and 15.269 g/kg for potassium, 904.48 and 1033.11 mg/kg for magnesium, 115.29 and 252.33 mg/kg for sodium, 1.831 and 2.329 g/kg for phosphorus, and 493.35 and 642.25 mg/kg for sulphur. These values for pekmez samples varied between 135.76 and 575.84 mg/kg for calcium, 5.853 and 8.146 g/kg for potassium, 187.96 and 389.86 mg/kg for magnesium, 20.40 and 43.55 mg/kg for sodium, 285.10 and 517.72 mg/kg for phosphorus and 121.21 and 303.57 mg/kg for sulphur. Potassium content was high compared with other minerals. The highest potassium level was 15.269 g/kg for red mulberry fruit, whereas the lowest potassium content was 5.8523 g/kg for black mulberry pekmez sample. The mineral content of pekmez samples of black and red mulberry fruits decreased at the important levels compared with those of white mulberries during pekmez production. As a result, mulberry fruits and their pekmez samples contain nutrient elements of vital importance in man's metabolism.