Sena L P, Vanderjagt D J, Rivera C, Tsin A T, Muhamadu I, Mahamadou O, Millson M, Pastuszyn A, Glew R H
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque 87131-5221, USA.
Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 1998;52(1):17-30. doi: 10.1023/a:1008010009170.
In the western Sahel, indigenous plants become important staples when cereal harvests are inadequate to support populations inhabiting that region of Africa. The purpose of this study was to assess the nutrient content of several of these edible wild plants. The leaves of the following seven plant foods were analyzed: Ziziphus mauritiana, Cerathotheca sesamoides, Moringa oleifera, Leptadenia hastata, Hibiscus sabdarifa, Amaranthus viridis, and Adansonia digitata. The fatty acid, vitamin E, carotenoid, selected mineral and amino acid contents of these plant foods were determined. These same analyses were performed on the fruit of the Adanisonia digitata. In quantitative and qualitative terms, Amaranthus viridis was found to be an excellent source of protein. Its amino acid composition compared favorably to that of a World Health Organization (WHO) protein standard. It also contained considerable amounts of the two fatty acids that are essential in humans (linoleic and alpha-linolenic) and a number of minerals including iron, magnesium. calcium and zinc. The leaves of Hibiscus sabdarifa contained an appreciable quantity of protein the composition of which was comparable to the WHO standard. The mineral content of the leaves of this plant was also exceptionally high; noteworthy was its high zinc content. H. sabdarifa also contained significant quantities of the two essential fatty acids. Ziziphus mauritiana was an excellent source of the essential fatty acid linoleic acid and several of the metals including iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc. Its content of other essential nutrients, however, was rather low. In general, Adansonia digitata leaves were nutritionally superior to the fruit of the tree; however, the fruit did contain useful quantities of potassium, phosphorus, zinc and alpha-linolenic acid. The Leptadenia hastata leaves were an especially good source of lutein and beta-carotene. These data should be useful to the people who inhabit the western Sahel in helping them devise healthy diets during times when cereal staples are in short supply.
在萨赫勒地区西部，当谷物收成不足以养活居住在该非洲地区的人口时，本土植物就成为重要的主食。本研究的目的是评估其中几种可食用野生植物的营养成分。对以下七种植物性食物的叶子进行了分析：毛叶枣、芝麻菜、辣木、戟叶鹅绒藤、玫瑰茄、绿穗苋和猴面包树。测定了这些植物性食物的脂肪酸、维生素E、类胡萝卜素、选定矿物质和氨基酸含量。对猴面包树的果实也进行了同样的分析。在数量和质量方面，绿穗苋被发现是优质的蛋白质来源。其氨基酸组成与世界卫生组织（WHO）的蛋白质标准相比具有优势。它还含有相当数量的人体必需的两种脂肪酸（亚油酸和α-亚麻酸）以及多种矿物质，包括铁、镁、钙和锌。玫瑰茄的叶子含有相当数量的蛋白质，其组成与WHO标准相当。这种植物叶子的矿物质含量也异常高；值得注意的是其锌含量很高。玫瑰茄还含有大量的两种必需脂肪酸。毛叶枣是必需脂肪酸亚油酸以及包括铁、钙、镁和锌在内的几种金属的优质来源。然而，它的其他必需营养素含量相当低。总体而言，猴面包树的叶子在营养上优于其果实；不过，果实确实含有适量的钾、磷、锌和α-亚麻酸。戟叶鹅绒藤的叶子是叶黄素和β-胡萝卜素的特别好的来源。这些数据对居住在萨赫勒地区西部的人们应是有用的，有助于他们在谷物主食短缺时期制定健康的饮食计划。
