Mineral elements in peach cultivars from Beijing, China: Profiling and health risk assessment

Abstract

Peach fruits, recognized as one of the primary deciduous fruit trees grown globally, are renowned for their abundant mineral nutrients. This study delves into the comprehensive analysis of mineral elements in 20 distinct peach cultivars, including 12 nutrients (NEs), 6 toxic elements (TEs), and 16 rare earth elements (REEs). Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry was utilized. The average contents of 12 NEs ranked as follows: K > Mg > Ca > B > Fe > Na > Zn > Cu > Mn > Sr > Mo > Se. TEs were identified as potential health hazards, particularly for children, with arsenic emerging as the primary source of dietary risk across diverse populations. Moreover, the presence of 16 REEs was noted across most peach cultivars, with cerium being the most abundant. Principal component analysis revealed seven principal components, contributing to a cumulative variance of 87.4 %. Cluster analysis was used to categorize the 20 peach cultivars into four groups. Excepting the 4th group, the remaining three groups exhibited the highest values for 22, 9, and 3 elements, respectively. These results contribute to a foundational understanding for the nutritional assessment of peaches and their cultivar breeding strategies.