author(s) : Abdel-Fattah M. Rizk, Nahla S. Abdel-Azim, Husseiny A. H. Elgendy,
and Ibrahim A. El-Garf
description
family name
Species count in Egypt
represented in egypt with Species
Glossonema edule N.E.Br., growing in Qatar has been thoroughly investigated. The fruits contain 14.7% protein, 2.70% lipids, 11.22% crude fiber, 63.30% soluble carbohydrates and 7.20% ash.
The nutritive constituents of both the pericarp and the unripe seeds of the fruit have been reported. The pericarp constituted 59.52% of the fruit, while the unripe seeds constituted 40.48%. (Rizk et al., 1983).
Investigations of the amino acids in both parts revealed slight quantitative difference with chemical scores of 40 for each of methionine and tryptophan and 65 for lysine. The ratio of essential:total amino acids averaged 34.5 as compared with a corresponding value 47.4 for the reference egg proteins.
As regards the soluble carbohydrates, they amounted to a level which is in agreement with the levels found in most of the vegetables and fruits. Glucose, galactose, arabinose and sucrose were detected in both parts. However, the unripe seeds were found to contain,
in addition to the previous sugars, the oligosaccharides melibiose and raffinose.
The fiber content in the dry matter of the pericarp was quite high and made it suitable for feeding children, whose stomach capacity is limited. Yet this high fiber content could prove to be useful in the control of obesity (Rizk et al., 1983).
The study of the fatty acids of both parts revealed slight qualitative and quantitative differences.
The fat was characterized by a high content of palmitic acid (60% of the total fatty acids “TFA”) and total saturated fatty acids (80% TFA).
These fatty acids have served to identify vegetable oils as being helpful in reducing serum cholesterol. Lauric acid, which has the most powerful effect in raising serum cholesterol, was present in very small amounts in the unripe fruits. The essential fatty acid linoleic acid, which is needed for growth and maintenance of dermal growth, was present in substantial amounts (7% of TFA) (Rizk et al., 1983).
The analysis of ash indicated that Zn and Cu were at higher levels in the unripe seeds as compared with the pericarp, whereas the levels of Fe and Mg were comparable in both parts (Rizk et al., 1983).
The unsaponifiable matter of the lipids of the unripe fruits contained α-amyrin, β-amyrin, cyclocucalenol, a sterol fraction (mainly β-sitosterol, together with stigmasterol, campesterol and small amounts of cholesterol) and a hydrocarbon fraction (n-C20H24 to n-C35H72), of which n-C30 and n-C33 represented the major components (Rizk et al., 1985).
Violanthin (apigenin-6,8-di-C-glucoside) and luteolin 7-O-glucoside were isolated from the unripe fruits of Glossonema edule (Rizk et al., 1990).
location
egypt