The Mineral and Nutrient Contents of Some Edible Wild Plants Grown in Rural Environment of Eastern Anatolia, Turkey

Abstract

Many edible wild plants are isolated and analyzed for their nutritional properties and mineral contents in recent days. In the present investigation different parts of the selected plants were analyzed for some macro-micro contents and nutritional properties (Na, Mg, K, Ca, P, S, Mn, Fe, Cu, Z, Cr, Co, and total ash, nitrogen, crude protein, pH and crude fibre). Campanula glomerata L. subsp. hispida (Witasek) Hayek, Gypsophila bicolor (Freyn & Sint.) Grossh., Nasturtium officinale R. Br., Ranunculus polyanthemos L., Scorzonera latifolia (Fisch. & C.A.Mey) DC. are the five wild plants used for the present study. These plants are easily available and all of them are often used in cheese and some other foods in daily life. The mineral element contents were identified to be phenomenal in Ranunculus polyanthemos L. for Mg, K, P, Cr and Co (4.25, 28.22, 5.63 g kg(-1) 1.11 and 1.56 mg kg(-1)), Nasturtium officinale R. Br. for Na, S and Mn (1.03, 1.89 g kg(-1) and 221.67 mg kg(-1)), Scorzonera latifolia for Fe, Cu and Z (368.41, 31.07 and 18.07 mg kg(-1)), Gypsophila bicolor (Freyn & Sint.) Grossh. for Ca and Fe (14.92 g kg(-1) and 370.81 mg kg(-1)). The highest total ash, nitrogen, crude protein and pH levels (34.0%, 1.62%, 10.1 and 6.47%, respectively) were obtained from Nasturtium officinale R. Br.