Nutritional composition of some wild edible plants consumed in Southwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Wild Edible Plants (WEPs), namely Chaw ( Solanum nigrum L.), Shutamodoroy ( Vigna membranacea A. Rich), Entut ( Dioscorea praehensilis Benth.), Gagut ( Trilepisium madagascariense D.C.), and Tikawoch ( Cleome gynandra L.), are naturally grown WEPs and are consumed by the Meinit cultural community in the Bench Maji zone of southwest Ethiopia. However, their nutritional and anti-nutritional compositions of these WEPs have not been documented. In this regard, the proximate, mineral and anti-nutrient contents of the edible portions of these WEPs were analyzed using standard food analysis methods. The nutritional analysis revealed that the WEPs contain valuable nutrients in the following ranges: protein (4.0–21.7%), fat (0.7–6.1%), fiber (8.9–22.3%), carbohydrates (38.1–83%) and energy (275–371.1 kcal/100 g). These WEPs were also rich in macro and micro minerals such as calcium (3.7–594.8 mg/100 g), potassium (440.6–1487.8 mg/100 g), sodium (174.9–277.4 mg/100 g), magnesium (68.2–588.1 mg/100 g), iron (0.8–38.5 mg/100 g), zinc (2.4–5.9 mg/100 g) and copper (0.1–0.5 mg/100 g). The phytate, condensed tannin, and oxalate content of WEPs varied from 8.6 to 307.3 mg/100 g, 5.8–329.0 mg/100 g, and 43.7–443.9 mg/100 g, respectively. The result indicated that these WEPs are rich sources of nutrients that could help combat nutrient deficiencies, particularly in rural communities. The results of this study can be used as baseline information for the nutraceuticals industry and community-based nutrition practitioners.