Baobab Monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future

CHAPTER 4. PROPERTIES
Throughout its range, baobab is used for food. The pulp of the fruit, the
seeds and leaves are all used and are essentially wild-gathered foods. Such
foods play a significant role in preparation of traditional dishes and as
sources of food during times of scarcity and famine (Sai, 1969).
Understanding the dietary contribution of such food resources requires data
on nutrient composition of both raw and prepared food (Nordeide et al.,
1994; Nordeide, 1995). For baobab, the data are widely scattered and
relevant research is somewhat fragmentary.
4.1 Leaves
Young leaves are widely used, cooked as spinach, and frequently dried,
often powdered and used for sauces over porridges, thick gruels of grains, or
boiled rice. Available data (Becker, 1983; Yazzie et al., 1994 and Nordeide
et al., 1996) show that leaves contain (dry weight): 13-15% protein, 60-70%
carbohydrate, 4-10% fat and around 11% fibre and 16% ash. Energy value
varies from 1180-1900kJ/100g of which 80% is metabolisable energy.
In terms of protein content and WHO standards, leaves of baobab can be
rated ‘good’ in that they score well for 5 of the 8 essential amino acids (table
4.1).
Table 4.1. Amino acid composition of baobab leaves (mg/g dry weight)
Amino acid A B SD for A
37
% of total protein
A B
WHO
ideal
Aspartic acid 10.3 12.9 2.5
Glutamic acid 13.4 11.4 3.8
Serine 4.7 4.6 1.1
Glycine 6.0 5.6 1.0
Histidine 2.1 2.2 0.5
Arginine 8.5 7.1 2.9
Threonine 4.1 3.6 0.7 4.0 3.7 3.5
Proline 5.6 6.8 1.0
Tyrosine 4.5 4.1 0.7
Valine 6.3 6.5 0.8 5.0 6.2 6.4
Methionine 2.4 1.0 0.4
Isoleucine 6.7 5.5 1.1 4.0 5.2 5.3