ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the chemistry of minerals in such a way that reactions that might occur during processing and storage will be more apparent. Having discussed a loose classification scheme for the essential minerals, it would be of interest to discuss selected chemical characteristics which might be of primary importance to the reactions these minerals undergo alone, or in the presence of one another, in food. Prior to discussing the processes that cause the major loss of minerals, a note of caution should be expressed concerning the variability of mineral levels among samples of the same type of food which may limit the validity of such data. However, it is hoped that, if nothing else, this chapter brings to the reader an appreciation of the importance of mineral chemistry and its role in the ultimate bioavailability of the mineral in foods.
