In the field of food, **ash is not a nutrient in the traditional sense**, but a general term for inorganic mineral oxides and inorganic salts remaining in food after incineration. Essentially, it refers to the inorganic components of various minerals (such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, iron, zinc, etc.) contained in food.
### 1. The Source and Nature of Ash When food is incinerated at high temperatures (usually 550-600°C), organic components (such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, etc.) will be oxidized, decomposed and volatilized, and the remaining non-volatile residues are ash. – These residues are mainly oxides or salts of naturally occurring minerals in food (such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, etc.). They may also contain small amounts of inorganic impurities from pollution or processing (such as silicates in sediment). – For example, the ash in vegetables mainly comes from the potassium, calcium and other minerals they contain; the ash in meat includes phosphorus, iron and other components.
### 2. The Relationship Between Ash and Nutrition – **Ash itself does not directly provide nutrition**: Ash is the “residual form” of minerals, not a nutritional form that the human body can directly absorb and utilize. What the human body needs are the minerals originally present in food (such as ionic or bound calcium, iron, etc.), rather than oxides after incineration. – **Ash content can reflect mineral content**: The determination of ash is a routine index in food analysis. The level of its content can indirectly reflect the total content of minerals in food (but it cannot distinguish specific mineral types and forms).
For example, dehydrated garlic has a relatively high ash content, which indicates that it is rich in minerals (such as selenium, manganese), and these minerals are beneficial to human health.
### 3. Summary Ash itself is not a nutrient, but an “inorganic residue” of minerals in food. However, the ash content can indirectly reflect the total content of minerals in food, and minerals are essential nutrients for the human body, which are crucial for maintaining physiological functions. Therefore, the determination of ash is one of the auxiliary indicators to evaluate the nutritional value of food.
Post time: Jul-10-2025