Nutritional analysis of the edible pit of Sclerocarya birrea in the Republic of Niger (daniya, Hausa)

Wild plant foods in the Sahel region of West Africa play an important role in the diets of local residents. During periods of grain shortage, people in rural Niger increase their reliance on wild plant foods to supplement their diets. We report the partial nutrient content of the pit of the seed Sclerocarya birrea, a snack food eaten by children in rural Niger. The pit contained relatively large amounts of copper (24.8 mug/g dry wt), magnesium (4210 mug/g dry wt), and zinc (62.4 mug/g dry wt). The protein content of the pit was high (36.4% of dry wt); however, the protein fraction contained relatively low proportions of leucine, phenylalanine, lysine, and threonine. Fatty acids accounted for 47 mg/g dry wt of the pit, two-thirds of which was due to oleic acid. The essential fatty acid linoleic acid was present (24.5 mg/g dry wt), but the other essential fatty acid, a-linolenic acid, was absent. Such data are useful for health and nutrition program planning by governmental and non-governmental organizations in Niger. The consumption of daniya pits by just children highlights the need to better understand the cultural context of how wild plant foods are used in a particular local context. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.