Mineral contents of some plants used as condiments in Turkey

Mineral contents of thirty-two plants used as condiments in Turkey were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES). All materials contained high amounts of Al, Ba, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, P and S. The highest levels of Ca, Fe, K, Mg and S were found in Thymus vulgaris, Lavandula officinalis L., Anethum graveolens L., Ocimum basilicum L. and Sinapis alba L., respectively. Bi, Cd, Li, Pb and Se contents of condiments were found to be very low. This work attempts to contribute to knowledge of the nutritional properties of these plants. These results may be useful for the evaluation of dietary information.