Understanding the Functions of Mineral Matter in Biology and Agriculture

January 7, 2026 •

4 min read

Over 96% of the human body is composed of just four elements, but the remaining essential minerals are indispensable for proper function. Understanding what are the functions of mineral matter is crucial across multiple fields, including human health, animal husbandry, and crop science. These inorganic nutrients are absorbed from the environment and play diverse, critical roles that are necessary for all life to thrive.

Quick Summary

Mineral matter performs vital functions, from providing structural support in bones and teeth to acting as cofactors for enzymes. These inorganic elements are also essential for nerve and muscle function, maintaining fluid balance, and facilitating numerous biochemical reactions in organisms and soil.

Key Points

Structural Support: Minerals like calcium and phosphorus build and maintain strong bones, teeth, and plant cell walls.
Enzyme Activation: Trace minerals such as zinc and magnesium serve as crucial cofactors for enzymes, enabling vital metabolic processes.
Fluid and Nerve Regulation: Electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and chloride regulate fluid balance, nerve impulses, and muscle contractions.
Soil Fertility and Structure: In the soil, minerals derived from rock weathering store nutrients, regulate pH, and improve structure for plant growth.
Metabolic Processes: Minerals are essential for energy production (ATP), photosynthesis, and the function of the immune system.
Bioavailability: For minerals to function, they must be in a form that can be readily absorbed by organisms, a process often aided by microorganisms.

The Diverse Roles of Mineral Matter in Living Systems

Mineral matter, in a biological context, refers to inorganic chemical elements that are essential for the normal physiological functions of living organisms. While macronutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats provide energy, minerals perform vital structural, regulatory, and catalytic roles. These functions vary depending on whether the organism is a plant, animal, or human, but their importance is universal.

Structural Functions: Building and Strengthening

One of the most well-known functions of minerals is their contribution to the structural integrity of organisms.

Skeletal Support: Calcium and phosphorus are the primary components of bones and teeth in vertebrates, providing strength and rigidity. In plants, calcium is a key component of cell walls, ensuring structural integrity and proper growth.
Soft Tissue Formation: Sulfur is a component of important amino acids like methionine and cysteine, which are crucial for building proteins and other structural molecules in animals.
Cellular Framework: Magnesium helps stabilize the structure of bone and teeth, but is also important for the structure of ribosomes within cells.

Regulatory Functions: Maintaining Internal Balance

Many minerals function as electrolytes, playing a critical role in regulating fluid balance and nerve function.

Fluid Balance: Sodium, potassium, and chloride ions are essential for maintaining the osmotic pressure and electrolyte balance in the body's fluids. This balance is crucial for cellular function and nerve impulse transmission.
Enzyme and Hormone Synthesis: Numerous trace minerals act as cofactors for enzymes, enabling catalytic processes that are fundamental to metabolism. Zinc is a component of over 300 enzymes, and iodine is essential for the synthesis of thyroid hormones that regulate metabolism.
Neuromuscular Activity: Calcium, sodium, and potassium are critical for the contraction and relaxation of muscles, including the heart muscle, and for the transmission of nerve impulses.

Functions in Soil: A Foundation for Life

For plants, the availability and function of mineral matter in the soil are paramount to health and growth. Soil minerals originate from the weathering of rocks and provide the nutrient base for the entire terrestrial ecosystem.

Nutrient Reserve: Soil minerals, particularly secondary minerals like clays, store and retain nutrients for plants and microorganisms. They prevent essential elements from being leached away by water.
Soil Structure and Water Retention: Minerals like clay and iron oxides bind with organic matter to form soil aggregates, creating the clay-humus complex. This process improves soil structure, aeration, and water-holding capacity, which are vital for root growth.
pH Regulation: Carbonates and other minerals act as buffers, regulating the pH of the soil. This is crucial because pH levels affect the availability and absorption of other minerals by plants.

Catalytic and Metabolic Functions

Minerals play a central role in numerous biochemical reactions.

Photosynthesis and Energy Metabolism: Magnesium is an essential component of chlorophyll, the molecule responsible for photosynthesis. Iron is also critical for chlorophyll synthesis and for electron transport in photosynthesis and respiration. Phosphorus is a key component of ATP, the energy currency of cells.
Immune System Support: Minerals like zinc and selenium are vital for the proper function of the immune system, helping to regulate immune responses and protect cells from oxidative stress.
Detoxification: Minerals can participate in detoxification processes. For instance, some soil bacteria produce siderophores to help plants acquire iron, but these can also bind to heavy metals, preventing their absorption.

How Mineral Function Differs in Organisms and the Environment


Function	In Living Organisms (e.g., Human/Animal)	In the Environment (e.g., Soil)
Structural	Provide rigidity to bones (Calcium, Phosphorus) and stabilize protein structures (Sulfur).	Form the basis of soil texture (clay, sand) and structure (clay-humus complex).
Regulatory	Maintain fluid balance (Sodium, Potassium), transmit nerve impulses, and regulate heartbeat.	Control soil pH levels and regulate the nutrient reserves available for plant uptake.
Enzyme Activation	Act as cofactors for hundreds of enzymes involved in metabolism (Magnesium, Zinc).	Many soil microorganisms rely on minerals as catalysts for biochemical reactions that release nutrients for plants.
Nutrient Cycling	Minerals are obtained via diet and recycled within the body or excreted.	Minerals are released from rock weathering, taken up by life, and returned to the soil upon decomposition.
Toxicity	Excessive intake can lead to toxicity, as seen with excessive selenium in animals.	Toxic minerals or an imbalance can hinder plant growth and overall soil health.

The Importance of Bioavailability

Simply having minerals present is not enough; they must be in a bioavailable form that organisms can absorb. In soil, this means minerals must be in a soluble ionic form for plant roots to absorb them. Microorganisms play a critical role in this process by helping to solubilize otherwise inaccessible minerals like phosphate. Similarly, animals cannot absorb minerals in their metallic form, needing them as soluble salts or in organic compounds. The intricate interplay between minerals, organisms, and their environment highlights why their functions are so central to life. For further research on soil mineralogy, the Fonds de Dotation Roullier provides a wealth of information.

Conclusion

Mineral matter is far more than inert geological material; it is a fundamental component of life itself. From forming the skeletal framework of animals to serving as catalysts for countless metabolic reactions, minerals are irreplaceable. Their functions span the microscopic world of cellular enzymes to the macroscopic scale of supporting entire ecosystems by maintaining soil fertility. Ensuring an adequate and balanced supply of minerals, whether through diet or proper soil management, is essential for the health and prosperity of all living things.

Frequently Asked Questions

In nutrition, mineral matter refers to the inorganic chemical elements, like calcium, iron, and zinc, that the body needs to develop and function normally. They are distinct from the organogenic elements (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen) that make up the bulk of the body.

Calcium and phosphorus are the primary minerals responsible for building and maintaining the hard structures of bones and teeth. They crystallize to form the mineral matrix that provides strength and density.

Many minerals act as cofactors, or activators, for enzymes. For example, zinc is a cofactor for hundreds of enzymes, while magnesium is essential for enzymes involved in energy production and metabolism. The mineral often helps the enzyme bind correctly with its substrate.

Plants absorb minerals in soluble ionic forms from the soil solution through their roots. This process involves both passive absorption, where minerals move along a concentration gradient, and active transport, which requires energy to move minerals against the gradient.

Minerals in the soil are essential for fertility because they serve as nutrient reserves for plants and soil organisms. They also help form a porous soil structure, aid in water retention, and help regulate soil pH, all of which are crucial for healthy plant growth.

Yes, an excess of one mineral can interfere with the absorption or utilization of another, a phenomenon known as mineral antagonism. For instance, too much manganese can impede iron, magnesium, and calcium uptake in plants.

The distinction is based on the quantity required by the body. Macrominerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, and sodium, are needed in larger amounts (typically >100 mg/day). Trace minerals, including iron, zinc, and iodine, are required in much smaller quantities.