Wheat flour confectionery products as a source of inorganic nutrients: zinc and copper contents in hard biscuits.

Cereal-based confectionery products being consumed through whole human life are considered mainly to be a source of carbohydrates, that is energy, although cereals are a rich source of minerals as well. To evaluate some hard biscuits produced in Croatia as a source of different trace elements in nutrition, in this study Zn and Cu contents were determined in classic wheat flour biscuits and in dietetic biscuits enriched with whole wheat grain flour or whole wheat grain grits, soya flour and skimmed milk. Zn was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS); Cu was determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The results show that the Zn content in different kinds of biscuits ranges from 5.89 up to 17.64 mg/kg and the Cu content ranges from 1.15 up to 2.79 mg/kg depending on the type of wheat milling products and mineral content of other ingredients used. Enriched dietetic biscuits produced from wheat flour type 850 and whole wheat grain flour and/or soya flour and skimmed milk were almost 200% and 150% higher in Zn and Cu, respectively, in comparison to classic white wheat flour biscuits and can be considered as good sources of Zn and Cu in nutrition.

Wheat flour confectionery products as a source of inorganic nutrients: iron and manganese contents in hard biscuits.

To evaluate some wheat flour based hard biscuits produced in Croatia with regard to their Fe and Mn contents and thereby their functionality, Fe and Mn are determined by cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS) in seven biscuits: classic white wheat flour biscuits and in dietetic biscuits enriched with whole wheat grain flour or whole wheat grain grits, soya flour and milk. Presented data show that Fe contents in seven analyzed biscuits range from 9.32 up to 24.80 mg/kg while Mn contents range from 3.76-16.37 mg/kg depending on type and share of cereal milling products and mineral content of other raw materials used. Thus, enriched biscuits produced from wheat flour type 850 and whole wheat grain flour, having the highest concentrations of Fe and Mn, were about 150% and 250%, respectively, richer in those elements in comparison with classic white flour biscuits of Petit Beurre type. Data show that wheat flour based hard biscuits, particularly enriched biscuits, can be considered as a good additional source of Fe and Mn in diets.