Determination of macro and micronutrients in diferentes species of ora-pro-nóbis and comparison with conventional vegetable

Abstract

The aim of this work was to determine the proximate composition and contents of iron, copper, manganese, phenolic compounds, phytic acid, total titratable acidity and pH of three species of ora-pro-nóbis (OPN): Pereskia aculeata Miller (PA), Pereskia aculeata var. godseffiana (PAG) and Pereskia grandifolia Haworth (PG) from domestic cultivation. Furthermore, compare the results obtained with a conventional vegetable kale (CM) (Brassica oleracea L. acephala) and evaluate the interrelationships through Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The ora-pro-nóbis species were statistically different from the CM in terms of total titratable acidity, pH, phenolic compounds, iron and copper at a significance level of 5%. The CM and PA showed statistical similarities in relation to protein, carbohydrate and manganese content at a significance level of 5%, while for PA and PG samples statistical similarities were observed for moisture and phytic acid at a significance level of 5%. For OPN species, the minerals concentrations varied from 15.26 ± 6.40 to 25.52 ± 4.72 mg Fe 100 g-1, 1.23 ± 0.81 to 5.31 ± 6.57 mg Cu 100 g-1, 12.00 ± 6.31 to 17.72 ± 13.13 mg Mn 100 g-1. ACP demonstrated that the PAG sample made the greatest contribution to the study, having in its composition the highest levels of iron, copper, phytic acid and moisture. Therefore, the species of ora-pro-nóbis evaluated in this work, even in residential cultivation conditions, proved to be potential sources of minerals, mainly iron, especially the species Pereskia aculeata var. godseffiana. In this way, the evaluation of the proximate and mineral composition of unconventional food plants is relevant for understanding the nutritional composition and increasing the consumption of these vegetables, in their use for food enrichment, as well as in helping to reduce the population's food insecurity.