Define Minerals - Calcium, Phosphorous and Iron?

Minerals are inorganic substances. This means they are not formed by living matter and contain no carbon. Minerals used in the body, we have already studied, are classified as:

• Major minerals, also called "macrominerals," and
• Trace minerals, also referred to as micronutrients.

Major minerals, as we already know, include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, chloride and sodium. The trace minerals are iron, zinc, copper, iodine, fluoride, chromium, selenium, manganese and molybdenum. All tissues and internal fluids of our body contain varying quantities of minerals. Minerals are constituents of the bones, teeth, soft tissue, muscle, blood and nerve cells. They are vital to overall mental and physical well-being. Although minerals are of vital importance, they make up only about 4% of the body's weight, all of the trace elements account for only about 0.01 % of total body weight. In this practical, we shall learn about the methods used to estimate mineral content of food or any given sample. We shall limit our learning to the study of two macrominerals, namely calcium and phosphorous and to one vital micronutrient i.e. iron.