Nutritional content of Zambian underutilized species: The case of mahwahwa (Strychnos pungens Soler) and mahuluhulu (Strychnos cocculoides Baker)

Pavla Přinosilová

Bachelor's thesis

Abstract:

Strychnos pungens Soler and Strychnos cocculoides Baker are tropical fruit species originating in southern parts of Africa with the status of neglected/underutilized crops. Even though these plants are a valuable source of food during the dry season when famine usually occurs, they have been overlooked by science. Local people mainly consume the fresh fruit pulp while all parts of the trees are used for medicine. Therefore, the species play a crucial role in people’s everyday life - enhancing local food security, improving health, and contributing to income generation. This study aimed to determine the nutritional aspects of both Strychnos species. The analyses of the lyophilizate of pulp for ash, dry matter, crude fat, crude fibre, crude fat, crude protein, NFE, vitamins B, and vitamin C were done by AOAC methods. The nutritional values of macronutrients for S. pungens were determined as follows: dry matter – 94.82 %, ash – 9.48 %, crude fibre – 13.78 %, crude protein – 2.37 %, crude fat – 17.16 %, NFE – 57.75 %. The content of vitamin C in S. pungens was 1772.76 mg/100 g, whereas the highest value from B vitamins was reached by pyridoxine (979.56 mg/100 g), followed by pantothenic acid (805.40 mg/100 g) and thiamine (778.02 mg/100 g), respectively. The nutritional values for S. cocculoides were determined as: dry matter – 89.65 %, ash – 8.97 %, crude fibre – 12.97 %, crude protein – 3.10 %, crude fat – 10.47 %, NFE – 56.78 %. The content of vitamin C in S. cocculoides was 703.04 mg/100 g, whereas the highest value from B vitamins was also reached by pyridoxine (240.00 mg/100 g), followed by pantothenic acid (238.52 mg/100 g) and thiamine (206.15 mg/100 g), respectively. Results showed that the lyophilizate of the edible pulp of both fruit species is a great source of crude fat, crude fibre together with vitamins, mainly vitamin C and pyridoxine (B6). However, further nutritional analyses with a determination of secondary metabolites, anti-nutritional factors, and digestibility are recommended to extend the knowledge about the dietetic potential of these African indigenous trees.

Keywords

freeze-drying, indigenous trees, neglected and underutilized species, corky-bark monkey orange, spiny-leaved monkey orange, tropical fruit

Jazyk práce: English

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 16. 4. 2021

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Vedúci: Ing. Olga Leuner, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Bachelor programme / odbor:
Agricultural Specialization / Agriculture in Tropics and Subtropics