Energy Dispersive X-Ray Microanalysis of Element Distribution in Amaranth Seed.

Energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis in combination with scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the distribition of mineral nutrients in amaranth seed. It was found that P, K, and Mg were exclusively localized in embryonic tissue (cotyledons and radicles), but not in procambium. Since phytin globoids occur in cotyledons and radicles in the seed, it is conceived that these elements are associated with phytate. Sulfur was evenly distributed in the embryonic tissue including procambium, which might be derived from sulfur-containing proteins. Calcium was mostly present in seed coats and the boundary between the perisperm and embryo, suggesting that Ca is associated with pectins that constitute the network structure of cell wall.