Abstract
Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) is one of the oldest cultivated food security crops in Ethiopia. There are a number of enset landraces used for traditional medicine. These landraces are believed to have better minerals and phytochemical compositions, which are not proved scientifically. The objective of this study was to compare the proximate, mineral and phytochemical compositions of corms of enset landraces used for treating bones illness traditionally, and two other landraces having another use value. Laboratory analysis was made by following standard methods, and the data determined were analyzed using SAS statistical software. Enset landraces, Kibnar and Guarye showed significantly (p < 0.05) higher protein content (4.74 and 4.06%), while Astara and Guarye were superior in phosphorus content (127.41 and 116.38 m g-2) respectively. Similarly, the highest zinc and tannin contents (8.52 and 153.94 m g-2) were obtained from Astara and Kibnar landraces respectively. On the other hand, Amerat landrace showed significantly (p < 0.05) higher crude fibre content. The three landraces used for traditional medicine showed better performances in protein, phosphorus, zinc and tannin contents than the other two landraces. Key words: Ensete ventricosum, enset, landrace, corm, proximate composition, mineral, phytochemical.
Highlights
Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) belongs to the family Musaceae, and is one of the oldest cultivated herbaceous and monocarpic banana-like food security crops in Ethiopia
The crude fibre contents obtained in the current study were slightly lower than the value (5.65%) reported by Mohammed et al (2013) for unspecified enset landrace, whereas, quite lower than 17.4% reported by Tadessa and Masayoshi (2016) for Naqaqa enset landrace of unspecified age
This finding was quite lower than the value (5.2%) reported by Forsido et al (2013) for the Nobo enset landrace, the variation could be due to genotype, growing environment or harvesting period differences (Alphonse et al, 2018)
Summary
Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) belongs to the family Musaceae, and is one of the oldest cultivated herbaceous and monocarpic banana-like food security crops in Ethiopia. It is reported that more than 20 percent of the population in Ethiopia is dependent on enset for human food, fibre, animal forage, construction materials and medicines. Some E. ventricosum landraces are believed to have medicinal value and are used by the enset growing community (Belehu and Endale, 1989). The use of pseudostem and seed of related species, Ensete superbum, for the treatment of various human ailments like debility, diabetes, kidney stone and for easy delivery was reported (Diana and George, 2013; Prashant and Bhadane, 2008). The use of boiled corm and starchy powder, bulla, of Tayo enset landrace together with milk for curing ailments such as joint displacement and swelling, broken bone and fracture, in the Bonga area was reported (Tsehaye and Kebebew, 2006). According to Tadessa and Masayoshi (2016), there is a strong recommendation of an enset variety called Sweete for treating bone problems in the Areka area
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