## 4 Discussion
Notably, in this work, there were no significant differences in the Cu contents (0.80 to 1.39 mg 100 g\({}^{-1}\)) of the samples. Some of the most needed microelements are Fe, Zn, and Mn, and in this study, the recorded variations ranged from 2.41 to 5.60, 3.73 to 7.14, and 0.81 to 1.25 mg 100 g\({}^{-1}\), respectively. For _Y. gloriosa_, [PERSON] et al. [34] estimated average concentrations of 2.54 and 0.27 mg 100 g\({}^{-1}\) for Fe and Zn, respectively; these values coincide with the Fe contents recorded in this work but differ substantially from the Zn concentrations. The values of Fe and Zn reported by [PERSON] et al. [2] in leaf quelites were similar for Fe (3.3 to 9.3 mg 100 g\({}^{-1}\)) but higher for Zn (0.5 to 3.3 mg 100 g\({}^{-1}\)). These results indicate that the infloresences of _Y. filifera_ are a source of microelements that can complement or support the adult daily intake needs of Zn (8-11 mg), Mn (1.8 to 2.3 mg), and Fe (8-18 mg) [43]. However, it is necessary to specify the edaphoclimatic effects, genotypic effects, and growing seasons of the infloresences because all these factors influence mineral composition. An additional element of the food described here is Si, with estimated variations in the samples ranging from 5.50 to 24.38 mg 100 g\({}^{-1}\), which potentially contributes to the adult food requirements of 30 mg Si per day; notably, few foods have significant quantities of this element. 'Cacayas', 'gualumbos', 'patas de gallina de cerro', or maguye (_A. salmiana_) infloresences appear after eight to thirteen years of plant growth once the floral scope is emitted, although they may appear earlier due to stress effects on the plant. In this work, infloresences of pulquero maguye were evaluated, but almost all the _Agave_ species were consumed by the community. In Oaxaca, Mexico, the consumption of flowers of mezacal agaves such as _A. angustifolia_, _A. potatorum_, _A. americana_, _A. rhodacantha_, and _A. marmorata_ was recorded, where the infloresences are usually cut and the individual flowers are manually extracted to prepare a local or regional dish. In the macromineral evaluations of the flowers of _A. salmiana_, the following relationships were determined: K \(>\) Ca \(\geq\) P \(>\) Mg \(>\) S \(>\) Na. In this work, there were no significant differences in the Na contents of the samples on the basis of their geographical origins (1.9 to 44.7 mg 100 g\({}^{-1}\)), perhaps because of the high variability within the samples of the same origin. For the infloresences of _A. salmiana_ de Hidalgo, Mexico, [PERSON] et al. [46] reported the following relationship: K \(>\) P \(>\) Ca \(>\) Mg. When both works are compared, differences are observed; for example, variations in the K, Ca, P, and Mg contents from 1815.7 to 2731.0, 472.1 to 1416.3, 354.8 to 745.9, and 221.7 to 433.6 mg 100 g\({}^{-1}\), respectively, were found in our work compared with the values reported by these authors, 1600 \(>\) 320 \(>\) 220 \(>\) 120 mg 100 g\({}^{-1}\), with the same order of elements. Similarly, the values reported by [PERSON] and [PERSON] [35] for _A. americana_ L. were 1552.8, 361.2, 240.1, and 396.5 mg 100 g\({}^{-1}\) for the same list of elements. In _A. atrovirens_ [PERSON], [PERSON] et al. [44] reported concentrations of 27.0 and 114.0 mg 100 g\({}^{-1}\) for P and Ca, respectively. These differences and similarities in concentration patterns among the samples of infloresences of _Agave_ species indicate that despite the differences and variability in the influence of the environment, these flowers are a source of macroelements for supplementing or complementing the daily diet. However, one of the limitations of this food is that it is not frequently found in local or regional markets because it depends on seasonality and the number of plants per patch, and there is also no generalized food culture of frequent consumption. The following relationships were determined for the concentrations of microelements in the infloresances of _A. salmiana_: Si \(>\) Zn \(>\) Fe \(>\) Mn \(>\) Cu \(>\) Mo.