Résumé :

Vegetable salt is considered to be an ingredient that improves the taste of food and preserves the green colour of leafy vegetables after cooking. However, its mineralogical composition remains little known for the science. The aim of the study was to determine the chemical composition of vegetable salts used as cooking condiments in the Congo. Ash from plantain peels, raffia palm kernels, oil palm bunches, sesame and water hyacinth was obtained after drying and incineration in the open air for 5 hours. The filtrates were extracted after washing the ash with tap water. After evaporating the water for 4 hours, the resulting plant salts were analysed by X ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). Potassium predominated, with levels of 41.80%; 41.18%; 32.19%; 31.92%; 31.42%; 25.76%; 25.54% and 17.79% for salts from freshwater hyacinth, sesame, raffia palm nut epicarp, banana stem, banana fruit peel, raffia palm nut kernel, oil palm petiole and oil palm male inflorescence, respectively. Sodium content was below 4% in all salt samples. Chlorine levels ranged from 1.217% to 15.15%. Iodine content of 0.019% was found in freshwater hyacinth. Salt extracted from plant residues is a real substitute for the NaCl that causes cardiovascular disease in humans. Key words: mineral elements, fluorescence spectrometry, ash, filtrates, plant residues

Numéro : 4
Date de publication : 31/3/2025