Characterization and comparison of the chemical composition of exotic superfoods

The mineral content and levels of trace elements in the main exotic food supplements, colloquially called superfoods, have been here determined using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry after microwave digestion. The selected products were goji berries, goji juices, goji capsules, pomegranate juices, pomegranate capsules, chia seeds, acaí juices, mangosteen juices, and mixtures of berries. The inorganic content of these products has scarcely, or not at all, been described in scientific literature and, taking into account the increase in consumers' interest for these supplements, represents valuable information for human health. A cranberry certified reference material (SRM 3283) and recovery experiments over different samples were performed to validate the method. The obtained results were discussed using the Recommended Daily Allowance for minerals provided by the Commission of the European Communities and a comparison between the different supplements was carried out.