Chapter 13
The Micronutrients:
Vitamins and Minerals
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Objectives
• Differentiate between fat-soluble
vitamins and water-soluble vitamins.
• List functions and sources of major
minerals and trace minerals.
• Explain the impact food processing and
preservation methods have on the
nutritive value of food.
continued
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Objectives
• Identify non-nutritive functions of
vitamins and minerals used as food
additives.
• Describe how to reduce vitamin and
mineral losses during home food storage
and preparation.
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Vitamins
• Vitamins are organic compounds needed
in small amounts in the diet to help
regulate body processes
– Enzyme reactions are slowed or stopped and
body processes impaired if vitamins are missing
• Scientists gave vitamins names, letters, or
numbers to identify them
continued
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Vitamins
• Fat-soluble vitamins
– have a nonpolar molecular structure and
dissolve in fats and oils
– include vitamins A, D, E and K
• Water-soluble vitamins
– are polar and dissolve in water and waterbased liquids
– include the B vitamins and vitamin C
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Fat-Soluble Vitamins
• Bile from the liver is needed for digestion
• A surplus is stored in the liver and in fatty
tissue for future use
• They cannot be easily excreted once
absorbed
• Megadoses can build up to poisonous levels
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Vitamin A
• Fat-soluble vitamin A
– aids in night vision
– maintains healthy skin and internal lining of
lungs and digestive tract
– ensures proper immune system function
– ensures production and regulation of
hormones
– breaks down bone for reshaping during growth
continued
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Vitamin A
• Vitamin A is found in 2 basic forms in food
– Retinol is the active form of vitamin A and is
found in liver, eggs, butter, milk, and cheese
– A precursor for retinol, found in orange and
dark green fruits and vegetables, is called
beta-carotene (β-carotene)
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Vitamin D
• Fat-soluble vitamin D
– can be made by the body with the help of the
vitamin D precursors cholecalciferol and
ergocalciferol
– teams with other nutrients to regulate calcium
levels and form bones and teeth
– is available in butter, cream, egg yolks, and
fatty fish and by exposing the skin to sunlight
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Vitamin E
• Fat-soluble vitamin E is
– an important antioxidant that quickly reacts
with oxygen, preventing damage to body
tissues
– found in vegetable oils, whole grains,
avocados, nuts, and seeds
– not heat stable so foods that are fried have
little vitamin E remaining
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Vitamin K
• Fat-soluble vitamin K is
– necessary for production of proteins involved in
blood clotting
– produced by bacteria in the intestines
– found in liver and dark leafy greens
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Water-Soluble Vitamins
• These vitamins cannot be
stored in the body since
they dissolve in water
– Excess quantities are
excreted in urine, making it
impossible to receive toxic
doses of water-soluble
vitamins
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B-Complex Vitamins
• Water-soluble B-complex vitamins
– act as coenzymes in reactions throughout the
body
– are found in leafy greens, legumes, pork,
whole grains, eggs, fish, and milk
• The B-complex vitamins specialize
– Vitamin B1 helps nerve and muscle function
– Vitamin B2 promotes healthy skin and eyesight
continued
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B-Complex Vitamins
• The B-complex vitamins specialize
– Vitamin B3 keeps the skin and nervous system
healthy and promotes normal digestion
– Pantothenic acid promotes growth and helps
synthesize vital substances
– Biotin helps the body make fats and glycogen
– Vitamin B6 promotes healthy immune systems
and helps make hemoglobin
– Folate helps cells divide to form new cells
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Vitamin C
• Water-soluble vitamin C
– is called ascorbic acid
– helps produce connective tissue
– helps protect against infections
– helps the body absorb iron and calcium
– serves as an antioxidant
– is found in citrus fruits, cantaloupe, tomatoes,
strawberries, broccoli
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Nonvitamins
• Several substances not classified as
vitamins are recognized as needed to
maintain good health
• Choline is
– found in meats, eggs, and peanuts
• Coenzyme Q10 is
– involved in enzyme reactions
– found in meat, fish, poultry, and nuts
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Minerals
• Minerals have the simplest structure of all
nutrients because they are elements
• They are grouped into 2 categories
– Major minerals are needed in amounts of
100 mg or more per day
– Trace minerals are needed in amounts of
less than 100 mg per day
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Major Minerals
• Calcium
– is part of bones and teeth
– regulates movement of ions across cell
membranes
– is important in sending messages along nerve
fibers and for muscle contraction
– helps maintain blood pressure
– is found in milk, yogurt, cottage cheese,
broccoli, collards, kale, and mustard greens
continued
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Major Minerals
• Phosphorus
– is found in bone tissue
– works as a salt buffer in the body’s acid-base
balance
– is part of the cell’s genetic material
– forms part of cell membranes and regulates
enzymes
– is found in meats and soft drinks
continued
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Major Minerals
• Sodium
– helps maintain fluid balance in cells
– helps regulate body temperature through
sweating
– is found in processed foods, salt, soy sauce
– should be consumed in limited amounts by
people who are salt-sensitive due to a link
between high blood pressure and a high
sodium intake
continued
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Major Minerals
• Potassium
– helps maintain fluid balance
– helps regulate body temperature
– plays a critical role in maintaining the
heartbeat
– is found in meats, milk, fruits, vegetables, and
grains
continued
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Major Minerals
• Chloride
– helps maintain the body’s fluid balance
– is used in the stomach’s hydrocholoric acid
– can be found in salt and soy sauce
• Sulfur
– is found in protein-rich foods
– helps maintain normal acid-base balance
– helps the liver change toxins to harmless
substances
continued
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Major Minerals
• Magnesium
– assists hundreds of enzymatic reactions
– is essential for bone health
– is needed for energy to be released for muscle
contractions
– helps nerves send messages
– is found in legumes, whole grains, and dark
green vegetables
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Trace Minerals
• Iron
– is needed for the production of red blood cells
– moves oxygen from blood throughout the body
– is inhibited by tea, coffee, soy protein, wheat
bran, and fiber from being absorbed
– is aided by Vitamin C in being absorbed
– is found in milk, legumes, dark leafy greens,
dried fruit, whole grains, breads, and cereals
continued
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Trace Minerals
• Iodine is
– needed for the production of thyroxine, a
hormone regulating the body’s use of energy
– found in iodized salt and seafood
continued
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Trace Minerals
• Zinc
– is needed for the functioning of enzymes
– promotes wound healing and proper immune
function
– is found in meat, fish, poultry, legumes, whole
grains, and nuts
• Fluoride
– helps strengthen bones and teeth and is found
in drinking water
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Other Trace Minerals
• Copper
– aids in the production of red blood cells and
the use of iron
• Manganese
– is involved in metabolism of macronutrients
• Chromium
– is necessary for proper insulin action
• Selenium
– works with vitamin E to protect body tissue
continued
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Other Trace Minerals
• Molybdenum
– is part of several enzymes
– is found in legumes, grains, and nuts
• Other trace minerals found in even smaller
quantities in the body are
– arsenic, boron, nickel, silicon, and vanadium
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Effects of Processing and
Preservation
• Removing components of natural food
changes nutritive value
• Exposure to heat, oxygen, or moisture
during processing affects a food’s nutrient
content
• Interactions between components can
reduce or limit the ability to absorb some
nutrients
continued
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Effects of Processing and
Preservation
• Enrichment is the process of restoring
some nutrients removed from refined grain
products during processing
• Laws were passed to prevent deficiencies
– 1930s—Niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, and iron
were first added to processed flour
– 1996—Folic acid was first added to grain and
cereal products
continued
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Effects of Processing and
Preservation
• Fortification is adding nutrients to food to
correct a nutritional deficiency
– A fortificant is the nutrient that is being
added to the food
– The food vehicle is the specific food to which
a fortificant is added
– Examples include iodine in salt, vitamin D in
milk, calcium in orange juice, vitamin A in rice
continued
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Effects of Processing and
Preservation
• Food scientists examine the
bioavailability of the proposed fortificant
– The most highly soluble form may be added
because of the body’s ability to absorb it
– A fortificant may not be added to a food that
contains nutrients that hinder the body’s ability
to absorb it
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Factors Affecting Nutrient
Stability
• Heat
– Vitamins A, B1, C, and E are not heat stable
• Oxygen
– Vitamins C, E, and β-carotene are damaged by
oxygen
• Water activity level (AW)
– affects the stability of vitamins A and C
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Vitamins and Minerals as
Food Additives
• Non-nutritive functions of vitamins and
minerals include
– vitamin C as an enzyme inhibitor
– calcium as a stabilizer in tofu and canned
vegetables
– salt (sodium and chloride) as preservative and
flavor enhancer in processed foods
– iodine as a dough conditioner
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Preserving Vitamins and
Minerals at Home
• How food is prepared determines how
much damage is done to its nutritional
value
• To reduce nutrient losses
– rinse fresh foods rather than soaking them
– keep foods in large pieces to reduce the size of
surface area exposed to light, air, and water
continued
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Preserving Vitamins and
Minerals at Home
– To reduce nutrient losses
– cut up fruits and vegetables just before
cooking or serving
– choose stainless steel, glass, and aluminum
cookware for foods that are easily oxidized
– avoid adding acids or alkalis to vegetables
– choose steaming over boiling and use the
cooking water in soups, gravies, or sauces
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Recap
• Vitamins are organic compounds that
help regulate body processes
– Fat-soluble vitamins dissolve in fats and
oils
– Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water
and water-based liquids
• Minerals can be categorized as
– major minerals
– trace minerals
continued
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Recap
• Both vitamins and minerals serve
various functions in body processes
• Nutrients can be added to foods by
– enrichment or fortification
• Factors that affect nutrient stability are
– heat
– oxygen
– water activity level
continued
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Recap
• When care is taken to preserve a food’s
vitamin content, its mineral content and
other nutrients are likely to be
preserved
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