Quantitative determination of proteins, lipids and ascorbic acid in indigenous legumes and fruits of Zimbabwe.

Abstract

The nutritional profile of indigenous legumes and fruits has been poorly documented. Indigenous legumes Arachis hypogaea (ground nuts), Vigna subterranea (round nuts), Vigna unguiculata (cow peas), Sticolobium deeringianum (velvet beans) and fruits Adansonia digitata (baobab), Flacourtia indica (governor's plum), Azanza garckeana (snot apple), Strychnos spinosa (sweet monkey orange) were collected and dried, after which their protein, lipid and ascorbic acid contents were determined. The protein content of the legumes and fruits ranged from 4.10 to 9.60 % with the highest value in snot apple, followed by governor's plum, ground nuts and cow peas. Ground nuts were found to be the richest source of lipids (mean = 45.97%) while lipids were low in all the other legume and fruit samples (0.83 to 1.63 %). The level of ascorbic acid was highest in baobab (mean = 578.29 mg per 100 g) and lowest in snot apples (mean = 3.61 mg per 100 g). Among the other legumes and fruits the vitamin C content ranged from 12.05 to 25.30 mg per 100 g. Indigenous legumes and fruits in Zimbabwe are therefore important sources of protein, lipid and ascorbic acid, and the regular intake of these cheap and freely available food is well-advised and may help in preventing severe malnutrition.


Transactions of the Zimbabwe Scientific AssociationVolume 72 1998, pp. 7-10