﻿18 CIRCULAR 205, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



DISCUSSION OF RESULTS 



Data are presented in this circular on the iron content of 110 

 different forms, parts, or varieties of fruits and vegetables, for 82 

 of which some analyses were made by the author. Twelve of the 110 

 averages represent dried or mature plant products, and 98 refer to 

 fresh, succulent, or immature plant products. 



The fresh or succulent vegetables and fruits may be divided into 

 four groups on the basis of theii* iron content. For purposes of 

 tliis classification those containing less than 0.00040 per cent of iron 

 were considered relatively poor sources of iron; those containing from 

 0.00040 to 0.00079 per cent, fair; those containing from 0.00080 to 

 0.00159 per cent, good; and those containing 0.00160 per cent or more, 

 excellent. According to this rather arbitrary di\dsion 13 of the 98 

 fresh vegetables and fruits may be classified as poor, 44 as fair, 24 as 

 good, and 17 as excellent sources of food iron. The details are shown 

 in the summary in Table 2. 



Table 2. — Fresh vegetables and fruits classified as sources of iron 



POOR (IRON CONTENT LESS THAN 0.00040 PER CENT) 



Apples. Muskmelon. Pears. Rutabagas. 



Cucumbers. Orange juice. Persimmons, Japanese. Squash, summer. 



Grapefruit. Peaches. Pineapples. Watermelon. 



Lemon juice. 



FAIR (IRON CONTENT PROM 0.00040 TO 0.00079 PER CENT) 



Apricots. Cranberries. Lettuce, head. Potatoes, new. 



Avocados. Currants. IMushrooms. Rhubarb. 



Bananas. Eggplant. Okra. Squash, v^inter. 



Beans, yellow wax. Finochio. Onions, mature. Strawberries. 



Cabbage. Gooseberries. Onions, young. Sweet corn. 



Carrots. Grapes. Oranges. Sweetpotatoes. 



Celeriac (root). Kohlrabi. Parsnips. Tangerines. 



Celery cabbage. Kimiquats. Peppers, green. Tomatoes. 



Celery stalk. Leeks. Peppers, red. Turnips. 



Cherries, black. Leek bulbs. Plums. 



Cherries, red. Lemon peel. Pomegranates. 



Chicory. Lemon pulp. 



GOOD (IRON CONTENT FROM 0.00080 TO 0.00159 PER CENT) 



Artichokes, leaf base. Blueberries. Dock or sorrel. Onion tops. 



Artichokes, whole head. Broccoh, sprouting. Endive, partly green. Pumpkin. 



Asparagus. Brussels sprouts. Escarole. Potatoes. 



Beans, green, string. Cabbage, green. Grape skin. Concord. Quinces. 



Beets. Cabbage, red. Leek leaves. Radishes. 



Blackberries. Cauliflower. Lettuce, green. Raspberries. 



EXCELLENT (IRON CONTENT 0.00160 PER CENT OR MORE) 



Beans, Lima. Chives. Kale. Spinach. 



Beet tops. CoUards. Mustard greens. Turnip tops. 



Broccoli leaves. Cowpeas. Parsley. Vegetable-oyster. 



Celeriac leaves. Dandelion greens. Peas, English, garden. Water cress. 



Chard. 



The group considered relatively poor sources of iron consists 

 almost entirely of fruits and fruit juices. Approximately half of the 

 group called fair consists of fruits; the rest comprise seed pods, 

 blanched leaves, blanched leafstalks, roots, and bulbs. Of chief 

 importance in the group designated as good sources are potatoes and 

 thick pigmented stalks and leaves. In the group called excellent 

 sources of iron are the immature seeds of leguminous plants and thin 

 green leaves. The latter are conspicuous for their iron value. 



This classification shows, as has often been observed, that much of 

 the iron in plant tissue is associated with the chlorophyll. The 

 distribution of iron in plant tissue has also been related by Ingalls 



