Mineral values of selected plant foods common to southern Burkina Faso and to Niamey, Niger, west Africa

Wild and cultivated fruits, leaves, nuts, seeds, spices and vegetables from southern Burkina Faso and Niamey, Niger, were analysed for their copper, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc concentrations and compared to imported, exotic reference foods found within the study area. The species analysed c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of food sciences and nutrition Vol. 47; no. 1; p. 41
Main Authors Smith, G C, Clegg, M S, Keen, C L, Grivetti, L E
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 01.01.1996
Subjects
Adult
Burkina Faso
Copper - analysis
Diet
Female
Humans
Iron - analysis
Magnesium - analysis
Male
Manganese - analysis
Middle Aged
Minerals - analysis
Niger
Nutritive Value
Plants, Edible - chemistry
Pregnancy
Zinc - analysis
Niger
Burkina Faso
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Summary:Wild and cultivated fruits, leaves, nuts, seeds, spices and vegetables from southern Burkina Faso and Niamey, Niger, were analysed for their copper, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc concentrations and compared to imported, exotic reference foods found within the study area. The species analysed covered a broad spectrum of local diet; 33 were wild and 16 were cultivated. The edible wild plants were often the highest in mineral concentrations. Five species analysed, exhibited consistently high mineral values, specifically, Adansonia digitata, Boerhavia diffusa, Cerathoteca sesamoides, Sclerocarya birrea and Xylopia sp. The latter was particularly high in zinc, an observation which suggests that there may be a solid rationale for local traditions which recommended its consumption during pregnancy and lactation. Respondents indicated that during times of drought, wild plants were not consumed in the volume they once were, due to changes of infrastructure and in famine relief programmes.
ISSN:0963-7486
DOI:10.3109/09637489609028560