Nutrient component analyses of selected wild edible plants from Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh, India: An evaluation for future food

Abstract

Background Indigenous people of any particular region use various wild plants for their food, medicines, and other economic products. Many of these wild plants have been documented for their utilization as future foods and medicines based on these people's information. However, information about the nutrient components of many wild edible plants has yet to be scientifically tested. Therefore, this study evaluated the nutrient components of selected wild edible plants. Methods A total of 21 species were selected for nutrient and mineral analyses from a total of 90 wild edible plants reported during the survey of 1720 households. Based on the reported edible use, different plant parts of each species were evaluated for their carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamin, and mineral contents. The obtained data were then analyzed using various quantitative indices to assess the selected wild edible plant's efficacy. Results It was found that nutrient content considerably varied among all the selected species. Among the selected plant species, Digera muricata has the richest protein content, the tuber of Dioscorea sp. has plenty of carbohydrate content, and Dioscorea bulbifera has the highest fat content. Similarly, Spondias pinnata and Boerhavia diffusa were rich sources of vitamin C and vitamin E, respectively. Digera muricata was found to be promising future food based on overall nutrient composition. Conclusions Several traditionally used wild edible plants can have surprisingly higher nutritional contents. These plants can offer a basis for developing dietary supplements and nutraceuticals on a commercial scale. Thus, scientific evaluation and validation of such underutilized plants and their products may prove an alternative future food for malnutrition people.