Consumption patterns and nutritional contribution of Crotalaria Brevidens (Mitoo) in Tarime District, Tanzania

We assessed the nutritional benefit of consumption of Crotalaria brevidens (mitoo), a leafy vegetable indigenous to the Lake Victoria basin of East Africa. Food frequency questionnaires and 24‐hour recalls with 74 women in Tarime District, Tanzania, documented the consumption of 24 cultivated and wild species of leafy vegetables and 38 species of fruits during June‐July, 1990. Leaves of cultivated or wild collected Crotalaria brevidens were eaten at least weekly by 69% of the respondents, with 10 persons reporting 4 or more meals per week. High consumption was positively correlated in regression analysis with intake of other leafy vegetables and negatively with consumption of fruits and animal foods potentially rich in vitamin A. Leaves of wild types of Crotalaria brevidens analyzed by high‐performance liquid chromatography had a ß‐carotene content of 4,907 ± 922 μg/100 g fresh weight supporting a conclusion that this species makes an important nutritional contribution to the diets of the population of Tarime District.

Key words:

• Indigenous leafy vegetable
• Crotalaria brevidens
• dietary assessment
• ß‐carotene
• East Africa