Determination of Zinc Contents in Iranian Flat Breads

Abstract

Zinc is an essential element for the maintenance of good health. It is necessary for the activity of several enzymes involved in energy changes and protein formation. Bread is one of the foods that have some zinc. Bread and other cereal products provide the most of calories and protein intakes of Iranian people in cities. Iranian flat breads such as lavash, taftoon, barbari and sangak generally are produced from soft white wheat flours of higher extraction levels compared to western type breads. The diet of Iranian people is more bread and other cereal products provide as much as 50-90 % of total caloric. For zinc monitoring in flat breads, 36 flat bread samples were collected from bakeries in Tehran city in 2004 and analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry for zinc metal. The mean and standard deviation of zinc content in lavash, barbari, taftoon and sangak breads were 12.17±1.91, 10.75±2.64, 10.41±3.54 and 14.25±3.56 mg/kg, respectively. Estimated intake of zinc based on consumption of Iranian flat breads is 3.499 mg per person per day. Flat breads are good sources of zinc and they can supply some of zinc requirements of human body for preventing of zinc deficiency.