Oilseeds from five native plant species with edible potential from the Brazilian Caatinga semi-arid region (Diplopterys pubipetala, Barnebya harleyi, Croton adamantinus, Hippocratea volubilis, and Couroupita guianensis) were investigated regarding their mineral contents. The minerals, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Cr, Al, were analyzed by high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS AAS) and P by the vanadomolybdophosphoric acid colorimetric method. K, Mg, and P were the main elements found (1.62-3.7 mg/g, 362-586 µg/g, and 224-499 µg/g dry weight (dw), respectively). B. harley seeds contained the highest amounts of K and P, while C. guianensis seeds were the richest in Mg. Fe was the most abundant oligoelement (2.3-25.6 µg/g dw). Cr contents were below the limit of quantification for all samples and Al amounts were low: 0.04-1.80 µg/g dw. A linear discriminant analysis clearly differentiated B. harleyi and C. guianensis samples from the remaining ones. In sum, these oilseeds from the Brazilian Caatinga semi-arid region seem to have the potential to be used as natural sources of minerals, mainly K.
Keywords: Caatinga; minerals; native; oilseeds; spectrometry.