Distribution of Manganese in Foods

Abstract

The manganese content of 83 representative food materials is given. The concentrations range from 0.028 mg. per liter of milk to 49.9 mg. per kilo. of bran flakes. Thirty-six of the materials contained less than 1 mg., twenty-five from 1 to 5 mg., and only twenty-two more than 5 mg. per kilo. of fresh material. Arranged in descending order with respect to their manganese content, 12 classes of foods, representing 138 food materials, appear as follows: nuts; cereals and their products; dried legume seeds; green leafy vegetables; dried fruits; roots, tubers, and stalks; fresh fruits; non-leafy vegetables; animal tissue; poultry and poultry products; dairy products; and fish and sea foods. Marked variations in manganese content were found among the several members of a given group. In typical American diets cereals and their products contribute the largest proportion of the manganese intake.