Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences

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Analysis of Beetroot Bulbs (Beta vulgaris) from Selected Geographical Regions in Kenya: Essential Nutritional Elements Contents

Received: 21 July 2020    Accepted: 04 August 2020    Published: 13 August 2020
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Abstract

In Kenya, beetroot bulbs are occasionally used as a blend in fruit juices and salads, as a livestock feed and for treatment of diseases. Analysis of essential elements in beetroot bulbs was performed using Energy Dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) in order to determine the nutritional content of the bulbs. The beetroot bulbs were sampled from five different geographical regions in Kenya; Karatina, Gilgil, Naivasha, Joska and Kisumu. The results of the concentrations of the essential elements had a range of: 10000 mg kg-1 to 61000 mg kg-1 for potassium, 500 mg kg-1 to 4500 mg kg-1 for calcium, 15.0 mg kg-1 to 230 mg kg-1 for manganese, 24.0 mg kg-1 to 770 mg kg-1 for iron and 16.0 mg kg-1 to 680 mg kg-1 for zinc. In general, the trend in the concentrations of the essential elements was K > Ca > Fe > Mn > Zn. Karatina samples registered the highest concentrations for all the elements of interest in this study. The results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) for all the five sampled regions show that there is a significant difference in the Ca, Fe and Mn concentration levels. Beetroots were found to contain sufficient amounts of the essential elements, therefore, are a suitable vegetable source of essential elements of K, Ca, Mn, Fe and Zn and can be used as an immune system booster. This study is supportive to the Government’s efforts of improving health care and in the fight against “hidden hunger-malnutrition” in the country.

DOI 10.11648/j.jfns.20200804.17
Published in Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences (Volume 8, Issue 4, July 2020)
Page(s) 112-116
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Kenyan Beetroot Bulbs (Beta vulgaris), Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence, Essential Nutritional Element Content

References
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[3] George, T. W., Kaffa, N., & Lovegrove, J. A. (2010). Beetroot juice consumption reduced blood pressure in normotensive individuals in an acute dose-response study. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 69 (OCE6). Retrieved October 4, 2018, from https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-nutrition-society/article/beetroot-juice-consumption-reduced-blood-pressure-in-normotensive-individuals-in-an-acute-doseresponse-study/A19D1E77261A0234C9D8EB6223EDFF4D
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Author Information
  • Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya

  • Department of Chemistry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya

  • Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya

  • Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya

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  • APA Style

    Grace Ndunge, David Njoroge Kariuki, Michael Josiah Mangala, Michael James Gatari. (2020). Analysis of Beetroot Bulbs (Beta vulgaris) from Selected Geographical Regions in Kenya: Essential Nutritional Elements Contents. Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences, 8(4), 112-116. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20200804.17

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    ACS Style

    Grace Ndunge; David Njoroge Kariuki; Michael Josiah Mangala; Michael James Gatari. Analysis of Beetroot Bulbs (Beta vulgaris) from Selected Geographical Regions in Kenya: Essential Nutritional Elements Contents. J. Food Nutr. Sci. 2020, 8(4), 112-116. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20200804.17

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    AMA Style

    Grace Ndunge, David Njoroge Kariuki, Michael Josiah Mangala, Michael James Gatari. Analysis of Beetroot Bulbs (Beta vulgaris) from Selected Geographical Regions in Kenya: Essential Nutritional Elements Contents. J Food Nutr Sci. 2020;8(4):112-116. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20200804.17

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  • @article{10.11648/j.jfns.20200804.17,
      author = {Grace Ndunge and David Njoroge Kariuki and Michael Josiah Mangala and Michael James Gatari},
      title = {Analysis of Beetroot Bulbs (Beta vulgaris) from Selected Geographical Regions in Kenya: Essential Nutritional Elements Contents},
      journal = {Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences},
      volume = {8},
      number = {4},
      pages = {112-116},
      doi = {10.11648/j.jfns.20200804.17},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20200804.17},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jfns.20200804.17},
      abstract = {In Kenya, beetroot bulbs are occasionally used as a blend in fruit juices and salads, as a livestock feed and for treatment of diseases. Analysis of essential elements in beetroot bulbs was performed using Energy Dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) in order to determine the nutritional content of the bulbs. The beetroot bulbs were sampled from five different geographical regions in Kenya; Karatina, Gilgil, Naivasha, Joska and Kisumu. The results of the concentrations of the essential elements had a range of: 10000 mg kg-1 to 61000 mg kg-1 for potassium, 500 mg kg-1 to 4500 mg kg-1 for calcium, 15.0 mg kg-1 to 230 mg kg-1 for manganese, 24.0 mg kg-1 to 770 mg kg-1 for iron and 16.0 mg kg-1 to 680 mg kg-1 for zinc. In general, the trend in the concentrations of the essential elements was K > Ca > Fe > Mn > Zn. Karatina samples registered the highest concentrations for all the elements of interest in this study. The results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) for all the five sampled regions show that there is a significant difference in the Ca, Fe and Mn concentration levels. Beetroots were found to contain sufficient amounts of the essential elements, therefore, are a suitable vegetable source of essential elements of K, Ca, Mn, Fe and Zn and can be used as an immune system booster. This study is supportive to the Government’s efforts of improving health care and in the fight against “hidden hunger-malnutrition” in the country.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Analysis of Beetroot Bulbs (Beta vulgaris) from Selected Geographical Regions in Kenya: Essential Nutritional Elements Contents
    AU  - Grace Ndunge
    AU  - David Njoroge Kariuki
    AU  - Michael Josiah Mangala
    AU  - Michael James Gatari
    Y1  - 2020/08/13
    PY  - 2020
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20200804.17
    DO  - 10.11648/j.jfns.20200804.17
    T2  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
    JF  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
    JO  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
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    EP  - 116
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-7293
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20200804.17
    AB  - In Kenya, beetroot bulbs are occasionally used as a blend in fruit juices and salads, as a livestock feed and for treatment of diseases. Analysis of essential elements in beetroot bulbs was performed using Energy Dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) in order to determine the nutritional content of the bulbs. The beetroot bulbs were sampled from five different geographical regions in Kenya; Karatina, Gilgil, Naivasha, Joska and Kisumu. The results of the concentrations of the essential elements had a range of: 10000 mg kg-1 to 61000 mg kg-1 for potassium, 500 mg kg-1 to 4500 mg kg-1 for calcium, 15.0 mg kg-1 to 230 mg kg-1 for manganese, 24.0 mg kg-1 to 770 mg kg-1 for iron and 16.0 mg kg-1 to 680 mg kg-1 for zinc. In general, the trend in the concentrations of the essential elements was K > Ca > Fe > Mn > Zn. Karatina samples registered the highest concentrations for all the elements of interest in this study. The results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) for all the five sampled regions show that there is a significant difference in the Ca, Fe and Mn concentration levels. Beetroots were found to contain sufficient amounts of the essential elements, therefore, are a suitable vegetable source of essential elements of K, Ca, Mn, Fe and Zn and can be used as an immune system booster. This study is supportive to the Government’s efforts of improving health care and in the fight against “hidden hunger-malnutrition” in the country.
    VL  - 8
    IS  - 4
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