Macro- and Micro-elements in Locally Produced and Imported Fruits on Czech Market: a Quantitative Assessment

The aim of the present study was to determine macro- and micro-elements of fruits commonly available on the Czech market and estimate their daily reference intake. The locally produced Czech fruits (grape wine, apples, pears, plums and peaches) and exotic fruits (physalis, kiwifruit, fig and avocado) were analysed. The determination of mineral elements was carried out with the validated Atomic Absorption Spectrometry method. Statistically significant influence (p < 0.001) of fruit’s geographical origin on the content of almost all analysed macro- and micro-elements (Mg, Ca, Mn, Zn, K and Cu) and Na in fruits (p < 0.05), except Fe was confirmed. In many cases, locally produced Czech fruits contained lower levels of macro- and micro-elements in comparison to exotic fruits. Potassium and iron were the most abundant macro- and micro-elements found in the analysed fruit samples. The highest average percentages of daily reference intake (DRI) and adequate intake (AI) for an adult were obtained for exotic fruit samples: physalis, avocado and fig. Factorial analysis allowed the discrimination between the locally produced Czech fruit samples and the exotic fruit samples and can be used for the differentiation with respect to their origin.