Evaluation of the nutritional quality of agricultural products as a case study: Mexico City markets

One of the elements on which food security depends is the nutritional properties of food, which are obtained from the nutrients extracted from the soil but have been altered, generating a lack of micronutrients in crops. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the amount of micronutrients in foods commonly consumed in the Mexican diet. The objective of this study was to characterize the content of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), and selenium (Se) in foods from nine markets in Mexico City. The methodology for this work was quantitative, based on random sampling and chemical analysis with atomic absorption spectrometry. No food rich in copper (Cu) was detected; low zinc concentrations (Zn) were found in eggs with 1,272 mg·kg-1, tortillas with 1,485 mg·kg-1, and rice with 1,135 mg·kg-1. Foods with appropriate amounts of cobalt were also found in eggs with 0.01 mg·kg-1, milk with 0.031 mg·kg-1, and chicken with 0.006 mg·kg-1. The chicken was the only one that presented a selenium (Se) concentration of approximately 0.22 mg·kg-1. The results prove the micronutrient deficiency in the foods analyzed, which possibly impacts the nutritional deficiency of people and the reason for the growing need to consume food supplements to remedy this.