Studies in various parts of Africa have stressed the importance of wild fruits in the diet of rural people. Eleven such fruits (Aframomum alboviolaceum, Annona senegalensis, Dialium guineense, Landolphia hirsuta, Landolphia owariensis, Lantana camara, Napoleonaea vogelii, Pseudospondias microcarpa, Salacia owabiensis, Sarcocephalus latifolius, Vitex doniana) consumed in Côte d'Ivoire have been analysed (general composition, vitamin, carotene and mineral content) and their nutritional importance has been examined by means of a nutritional survey (24 hour recall). It was concluded that, although the diet is based essentially on agricultural crops, wild fruits make an important contribution by providing rare nutrients and are an important source of variation and of complementation especially with vitamins and minerals. However, as a result of the changes sweeping through African societies, wild plants are in danger of disappearing. This may have harmful consequences to the nutritional status of the rural populations.
Ecology of Food and Nutrition
Volume 32, 1994 - Issue 3-4
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