Macro- and Microelements of a Product Based on Honey and Common Centaury

Abstract

The medicinal plant common centaury (Centaurium umbellatum Gilib.) of the gentian family is highly valued in pharmacy for its favourable effect on problems of the digestive system. The aim of our research was to examine the contents of macro- and microelements in common centaury, honey, and a product based on honey and common centaury, so that common centaury can be more widely used together with honey as a food supplement. Calcium, magnesium, sodium, copper, zinc, iron and manganese contents were established in quantitative terms by the atomic absorption sprectrum-photometry method, the phosphorus contents by the sprectrum-photometry method, and potassium contents by the burning photometry method. The research results indicate an important enrichment of the mineral composition of the obtained product, relative to honey, especially regarding the contents of magnesium, calcium, manganese, potassium and phosphorus.

Ispitan je sadržaj makro- i mikroelemenata kičice (Centaurium umbel- latum Gilib.), meda i proizvoda na bazi meda i kičice, kako bi se kičica zajedno sa medom mogla šire koristiti kao dopuna ishrani. Kvantitativno je određen sadržaj kalcijuma, magnezijuma, natrijuma, bakra, cinka, gvožda i mangana metodom atomske apsorpcione spektrofo- tometrije, sadržaj fosfora spektrofotometrijski, a sadržaj kalijuma metodom plamene fotometrije. Rezultati ispitivanja ukazuju da je kombinacijom meda i praha kičice dobijen proizvod obogaćenog mineralnog sastava u odnosu na med, posebno u pogledu sadržaja magnezijuma, kalcijuma, mangana, kalijuma i fosfora.