Abstract
Current agricultural realities dictate that crops be developed which can be grown with fewer petroleum inputs and on marginal croplands. A palm tree native to the Amazon Valley,Jessenia bataua, found in both swamplands and upland forests has been studied. The fruits of this tree have long been exploited by indigenous peoples as a source of oil and a milk-like drink. Chemical analyses of the oil show it to be similar to olive oil. Chemical and biological assays of the mesocarp pulp protein reveal its quality to be comparable to that of good animal protein and considerably better than most grain and legume proteins. Rats fed diets containingJessenia bataua mesocarp oil and pulp showed normal weight gains when compared to those fed diets with similar quanities of corn oil and casein.Jessenia bataua is an example of a little-known wild plant that could provide a new source of food protein and oil for combating world hunger.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Barrons, K. C. 1975. The Food in Your Future: Steps to Abundance. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.
Boniforti, L., and M. L. Salvi. 1963. Ricerche sull’olio diJessenia polycarpa. Annali di Chimica (Roma) 53: 1400–1404.
Chu, S. H. W., and D. M. Hegsted. 1976. Adaptive response of lysine and threonine degrading enzymes in adult rats. J. Nutr. 106: 1089–1096.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations World Health Organization (FAO/WHO). 1973. Energy and Protein Requirements. FAO/WHO Technical Report Series No. 522, Geneva.
Matheson, N. A. 1974. The determination of tryptophan in purified protein and in feeding stuffs. Brit. J. Nutr. 31: 393–400.
Mayer, J. 1976. The dimensions of human hunger. Sci. Amer. 235: 40–49.
National Academy of Sciences. 1975. Underexploited Tropical Plants with Promising Economic Value. Washington, DC.
—. 1980. Recommended Dietary Allowances. 8th ed. National Research Council. Washington, DC.
Pinkley, H. V. 1973. The ethno-ecology of the Kofán Indians. Ph.D. diss., Harvard Univ.
Prance, G. T. 1972. An ethnobotanical comparison of four tribes of Amazonian Indians. Acta Amaz. 2: 7–27.
Schultes, R. E. 1963. Plantae Austro Americanae XI. Rhodora 65: 1–21.
Seibert, R. J. 1950. The importance of palms to Latin America; Pejibaye a notable example. Ceiba 1: 65–74.
United States Department of Agriculture. 1963. Composition of Food. Handbook No. 8. Washington, DC.
Wallace, A. R. 1853. Palm Trees of the Amazon and Their Uses. Van Voorst, London.
Wilbert, J. 1976.Manicaria saccifera and its cultural significance among the Warao Indians of Venezuela. Bot. Mus. Lean. Harvard Univ. 24: 275–335.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Balick, M.J., Gershoff, S.N. Nutritional evaluation of theJessenia bataua palm: Source of high quality protein and oil from tropical America. Econ Bot 35, 261–271 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02859117
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02859117