Nutritional composition of wild sour plum (Ximenia caffra subs caffra) fruit harvested in varying geographical regions and its potential role in human nutrition

Abstract

By 2030, the United Nations, through their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), hope to have eradicated hunger and malnutrition, ensuring that everyone has access to enough nutritious food throughout the year. This is especially aimed at developing countries. There is untapped potential for food and nutrition security in Africa's wide variety of native fruit trees. One example of a wild fruit tree that is underutilised is the wild sour plum (Ximenia caffra subs caffra), a fruit crop from the Oleaceae family that grows in the Southern Africa. The objective of the study was to determine the nutritional variation of the wild sour plum, harvested from varying geographical regions, to possibly assist the potential breeders’ suitable methods for selecting accessions that could be used for potential breeding of highly nutritious fruit crop. Ripe wild sour plum fruit were harvested from varying plant selections in three different regions (Bushbuckridge, Giyani, and Tzaneen) during December 2022. Dried, frozen samples were analysed for biochemical constituents, such as total phenols and vitamin E. The highest total phenols (17.2 GAE g) and vitamin E (31.8 mg 100/g DW) of wild sour plum were obtained from selection three (3) fruit in Bushbuckridge. Therefore, plant breeders and horticulturalists should be mindful of these factors when considering breeding programmes of wild sour plum for commercial purposes.