Abstract
African wild leafy vegetables (AWLVs) are receiving more attention concerning the potential health advantages of consuming vegetables. The proximate composition, mineral, and vitamin contents of seven AWLVs consumed locally by rural populations of the semiarid Dodoma region in Tanzania were determined. AWLVs showed significant amounts of iron, calcium, and protein as well as a moderate amount of β-carotene and vitamin C. Raw Cleome hirta had higher iron and calcium levels (26.7 and 1153.6 vs. 44.8 mg/100 g and 2104.1 mg/100 g, respectively) than raw Cleome gynandra (Cg-RL). High calcium contents were also revealed in both raw Ceratotheca sesamoides (Cs-RL, 1059.5 mg/100 g) and dried with Cucumis dipsaceus (Cs&Cd-DL, 2794.5 mg/100 g). Raw Ipomoea obscura had a high iron concentration (55.2 mg/100 g), which was 100 times greater than that in cultivated sweet potato leaves. Iron was also present in significant amounts in the raw Ipomoea sinensis subsp. blepharosepala (Isb-RL) and Cs-RL (41.5 mg/100 g and 39.9 mg/100 g, respectively). The protein content in Cg-RL was 12.3 g/100 g. Cs&Cd-DL and Cg-RL exhibited the highest β-carotene and vitamin C contents (17,489.1 μg and 13.5 g/100 g, respectively). AWLVs are recommended for managing protein, mineral, and vitamin deficiencies, which are endemic to inhabitants of the Dodoma region and other African countries.
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Notes
- 1.
Plant names in the local language are in bold and Swahili plant names are in bold italics.
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Acknowledgments
We acknowledge Ms. Nobuko Tsubaki Nzullunge, Mr. Michael Chimosa, and the team in Chinangali I Village for sample collection and information regarding the utilization of the species; Mr. Frank Mbago for botanical assistance at the Herbarium of the University of Dar es Salaam; and Mr. Parinya Khemmarath for research assistance. Proximate composition and minerals were analyzed at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and β-carotene and vitamin C were analyzed at the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS).
The research was financially supported by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and Research Assistance System through Utsunomiya University Diversity Research Environment Promotion Headquarters, by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKEHI) 18H03438 (“Possibilities of wild edible plants and traditional meals in East Africa”) and 22H00032, and by Utsunomiya University. The funding sources do not have any role in the study design, the preparation of the article, or the decision to submit the article for publication.
Kaale is responsible for data analysis, drafting, editing, and revising the chapter. Sakamoto is responsible for conceptualization, information collection in Dodoma, editing, and revising the chapter. Ohmori has contributed to the conceptualization of the information collection. All the authors have gone through the final chapter and accepted.
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Kaale, L.D., Sakamoto, K., Ohmori, R. (2023). Nutrition Potential of African Wild Leafy Vegetables: Evidence from Semiarid Central Tanzania. In: Sakamoto, K., Kaale, L.D., Ohmori, R., Kato (Yamauchi), T. (eds) Changing Dietary Patterns, Indigenous Foods, and Wild Foods. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-3370-9_13
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