[Determination of mineral elements in soybean from different producing areas by ICP-AES].

Soybeans from Jiangxi, Heilongjiang, Jilin and Anhui were digested by nitric acid. The contents of mineral elements K, P, Mg, Ca, Fe, Al, Zn, Mn and Na in four samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The differences between samples were determined by Duncan's multiple-range test, and evaluations were based on a significance level of P < 0.05. The results show that soybeans are rich in mineral elements that human body needs. The contents of K, P, Mg, Ca and Fe are higher than the others, and the order from high to low does not change with the producing area. The order of Mn, Zn, Al, Na varied with the producing area. Producting area does not affect the contents of elements K, P and Mg significantly (P > 0.05). It can be concluded that the demands for major mineral elements K, P and Mg are stable in the growth of soybeans with the same variety. However, producing area has a great influence on the contents of elements Al, Ca, Fe, Na, Mn and Zn in soybean (P < 0.05). The content of Fe in Anhui soybean (70.93 mg x kg(-1)) and the content of Mn in Jiangxi soybean (32.69 mg x kg(-1)) are significantly higher than the other three samples. The results suggested that the contents of Al, Ca,Fe, Na, Mn and Zn were easily affected by growth conditions, such as water, soil and so on.