Elemental Analysis of Edible Bulb Samples

Replication-wise, fully dried samples of the edible portion of the bulb were homogenised using a pestle and mortar. Half a gram of powdered sample (three replications) was taken for digestion in 20 ml of an acid solution of nitric acid (HNO₃) and 4-perchloric acid in the ratio of 9:4 and placed in a 500 ml conical flask. The corresponding mixture was kept overnight and was placed on a hot plate the next morning for digestion until white fumes had appeared for about 2 h. After digestion, the clear solution was diluted with double-distilled autoclaved water up to 100 ml. After dilution, the mixture was filtered with Whatman Filter Paper Number-1. An Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Model AA-6880, Shimadzu, Japan) was used to measure absorbance and calculate sodium and potassium contents (Table 2). Air acetylene gas was used for this study. Each sample was measured twice (n = 6 for each variety, 3 replications and two replicates) to avoid any handling mistakes.