Nutritional analysis of selected wild edible vegetables of the Vhembe region, South Africa

For rural communities, wild edible plants play a paramount role as foods, which improve their nutritional livelihood and combat food insecurity. The prevalence of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Fe, and Zn from eight wild edible vegetables were studied. The micronutrients have the highest deficiency prevalence in human in the Vhembe region of the Limpopo Province, South Africa whereas trace elements studied in this research play indispensable roles in the maintenance of health and disease states of humans and domestic animals. Plant samples (leaves), free of infections, were obtained from street hawkers located between Levubu and Makhado in the province. Analysis of Fe, Zn, b-carotene and quantification of Vitamin C was achieved by following methods which are explained in the methodology section with slight modifications. Amaranthus Hybridus L. contained high amounts of 226±3.06 mg/100g and 15.5+/-3.52 mg/100g of Fe and Zn respectively. Solanum retroflexum was found to have the highest amount of Vitamin A (b-carotene) of 10.91 mg/100g DW , while Amaranthus thunbergii contained the highest (69.11mg/100g DW) amount of Vitamin C. There is a chance of blending wild edible vegetables for consumption. The blending of Solanum retroflexum and Amaranthus thunbergii is therefore recommended as it promotes Vitamin A and Vitamin C contents in the diet of humans.

Nutritional and Functional Properties of Wild Leafy Vegetables for Improving Food Security in Southern Angola

In Southern Angola, numerous non-woody forest products are sold at local markets, namely in Lubango (Huíla Province). Such is the case of herbaceous wild plants, locally known as lombi, which are sold fresh throughout the year and cooked as a vegetable. Although these wild leafy vegetables are commercialized and widely used in local food, there is still a lack of scientific knowledge about their properties. Thus, this study aimed to identify and characterize the species sold, and to determine their nutritional and functional properties. Our results revealed that three species—Amaranthus hybridus, Bidens pilosa, and Galinsoga parviflora—are usually sold at Lubango markets and consumed by local populations. These are annual exotic plants, native to Southern America, and usually occur spontaneously in croplands or disturbed areas, but can also be cultivated, particularly A. hybridus. Physico-chemical analyses of lombi species and mixtures sold at the markets included measurements of moisture, protein, lipid, and mineral content, as well as total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and levels of heavy metal contaminants. The results revealed that lombi contain a significant amount of protein (20–28 g/100 g, dry basis), high values of macronutrients and micronutrients, as well as of phenolic compounds (10–40 mg GAE/g) and a good antioxidant capacity. Given the availability of lombi throughout the year, our study demonstrated the importance of wild edible plants in Angola, both as a valuable natural resources and as a complementary food sources, as well as additional sources of income for many families.

Phytochemical screening and antioxidant activity of leaves of Amaranthus hybridus L., Corchorus olitorius L and Hibiscus sabdariffa L. grown in northen of Côte d’Ivoire

Our work was based on the study of aqueous and hydroethanol extracts from the leaves of Amaranthus hybridus L. (Amaranthaceae), Corchorus olitorius L. (Tiliaceae) and Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (Malvaceae), and decoction. This work presents for the first time the phytochemical screening and the antioxidant activity of extracts of leaves of these three plants coming from the Côte d’Ivoire. Phytochemical analysis of these extracts revealed the presence of polyphenols and alkaloids in the three leaves. The total phenolic content of the extracts showed variations, between 13.22 and 90.89 mg GAE/g. The hydroethanol extract (90.89 mg GAE/g) and decoction of C. olitorius (57.89 mg GAE/g) had the most elevated contents. The evaluation of the reducing power with DPPH method revealed that the hydroethanol extract of C. olitorius was the most active (IC50 = 45.58 µg/mL). This result was in agreement with that obtained by FRAP method.

Mitigating Effects of Beta-Carotene on Hydroponic Growth and Productivity of Amaranthus Hybridus L. under Aluminium Toxicity Induced Stress

Aluminium (Al) toxicity is one of the major sources of environmental stress that limit plant growth and productivity in many acidic soils, especially in the tropics and sub-tropics. Al toxicity subsequently leads to food insecurity in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Though plants can synthesize their antioxidants; the need exists to investigate whether under Al toxicity-induced stress; beta-carotene (β-Carotene) supplementation could ameliorate the stress situation and enhance growth and productivity. A 3× 10− 2 mM aluminium chloride (AlCl3) at pH 4.6 was used to stress plants. β-Carotene was extracted from carrots and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine its peak absorbance at 295 nm. β-Carotene's activity was determined using the thiobarbituric acid method. The effects of 50 and 200 µM concentrations of β-Carotene on the hydroponic growth of Amaranthus hybridus, subjected to Al stress, were evaluated in this study. Pre- and post- β-Carotene treatments were applied to A. hybridus seedlings before and after Al treatment for 72 h. Results showed that post- β-Carotene treatments significantly ameliorated plants from Al stress when compared to pre- β-Carotene treatments. Higher doses of β-Carotene significantly increased leaf number, plant height, length and number of inflorescence, fresh and dry weights of shoot, root and inflorescence but significantly decreased root length. The present study suggests that plants of A. hybridus were susceptible to Al toxicity-induced stress and post-β-Carotene supplementation could significantly ameliorate the stress situation and enhance growth and productivity. However, intrinsic antioxidants could be adequate for plants not subjected to stress.

Amino acid profiles of Solanum aethiopicum, Amaranthus hybridus, and Telfairia occidentalis, common leafy vegetables in Nigeria

The aim was to evaluate the amino acid compositions of three commonly consumed leafy vegetables ( Solanum aethiopicum, Amaranthus hybridus, and Telfairia occidentalis) in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. Leafy vegetables are important protective foods and beneficial for the maintenance of healthy living and prevention of diseases. The fresh leaves of A. hybridus, T. occidentalis, and S. aethiopicum were air-dried under room temperature for 1 week. The dried samples were further milled into a fine powder using a mechanical grinder and were stored in an air-tight plastic container. Amino acid content was determined using an applied Bio-system (phenylthiohydantoin, PTH) amino acid analyzer. Among amino acids determined in the vegetables, glutamic acid had the highest value with 12.59, 11.20, and 11.96 g/100 g protein, which was followed closely by leucine with 9.81, 7.94, 9.28 g/100 g protein, and aspartic acid with 8.99, 8.62, and 9.74 g/100 g protein in S. aethiopicum, A. hybridus, and T. occidentalis, respectively on dry weight bases. The leaf that contained the highest total amino acid (TAA) was S. aethiopicum with 88.69 g/100 g protein followed by T. occidentalis with 80.39 g/100 g protein while A. hybridus being the lowest, had 73.38 g/100 g protein. The limiting essential amino acid was tryptophan with 1.98 g/100 g protein while leucine with 9.0 g/100 g protein was the most abundant TAA. The percentage concentration of different groups of amino acid in vegetables revealed that total essential amino acid (TEAA) had 54.85%, total non-essential amino acid (TNEAA) had 48.27%, total neutral amino acid (TNAA) had 22.24%, total acidic amino acid (TAAA) had 32.48%, total basic amino acid (TBAA) had 11.53%, total aromatic amino acid (TArAA) had 11.89% while total sulfur amino acid (TSAA) had 3.94%. The results indicate that the vegetables studied are rich in essential amino acids and could serve as a good source of quality protein. Therefore, they could be recommended as food supplements, especially when animal proteins become more expensive as a source of protein.

Avaliação de fermentados botânicos no controle de Colletotrichum fructicola isolado de Acca sellowiana

Acca sellowiana (O. Berg) Burret (feijoa) é uma frutífera nativa do sul do Brasil, com elevado potencial para cultivo, principalmente para agricultores familiares, tendo perspectivas positivas quanto à adaptação se comparada às demais frutíferas comerciais. A principal doença da cultura é a antracnose causada pelo fungo Colletotrichum spp., que não possui produtos fitossanitários registrados para seu controle. O objetivo desse trabalho foi verificar a atividade antifúngica in vitro de diferentes fermentados botânicos sobre o desenvolvimento do fitopatógeno Colletotrichum fructicola. Foi avaliada inibição do crescimento micelial in vitro com a medição do diâmetro perpendicular para determinar a porcentagem de inibição de crescimento fúngico em triplicata. Os tratamentos foram constituídos dos fermentados botânicos de Schinus terebinthifolia, Psisum sativum, Tagetes minuta, Trifolium pratense, Ilex paraguarienses, Vernonanthura tweediana, Prunus myrtifolia e Amaranthus hybridus avaliados nas concentrações de 10, 20 e 40% e testemunha. O principal composto fenólico identificado via HPLC foi ácido gálico a partir do fermentado de S. terebinthifolia. Foi possível verificar que o fermentado de S. terebinthifolia na concentração de 40% inibiu totalmente o desenvolvimento de Colletotrichum fructicola. Os demais fermentados avaliados neste trabalho não demonstraram efeito satisfatório sobre este fungo fitopatogênico.