Title
Chemical composition of Apodanthera biflora, a Cucurbit of the dry forest in northwestern Peru
Date Issued
01 August 2012
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Publisher(s)
Facultad de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos
Abstract
The dry forest of northwestern Peru is the habitat of numerous native species that have received little attention beyond taxonomic purposes. Here we report the chemical composition of the roots and seeds of a set of accessions of Apondanthera biflora, a wild Cucurbit with potentialities as a food resource. The roots show features that are comparable to those from cassava roots and potato tubers: a high content of carbohydrates on a dry matter basis (77.5-84.9%), with starch representing around 20% of the total dry matter. The seeds' fat content on a dry matter basis (22.22-39.37%) falls within the percentages found in oily seeds such as safflower, whereas the protein content (21.37-29.06%) is similar to that of flax and sunflower. The fatty acid profile of the seed's oil shows a predominance of polyunsaturated acids, in particular linoleic acid (43.81%), making it comparable to that of cotton oil. Our results confirm the nutritional value of Apodanthera biflora and set the ground for its use in domestication and food security programs.
Start page
199
End page
203
Volume
19
Issue
2
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ciencias de las plantas, Botánica
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85026762215
Source
Revista Peruana de Biologia
ISSN of the container
15610837
Sponsor(s)
We thank Aníbal Calderón, Jenny Rojas, David de Las Casas, Luis Espinoza, Adán Yarlequé, Lucinda Prado, Yolmer Gutiér-rez, Adan Zeña, Alberto Valdera, José Cedillo, Dante Alemán, the Comunidad Campesina José Ignacio Távara Pasapera (Chulucanas, Morropón), the Empresa Comunal de Servicios Agropecuarios “Cucungara” S.R.L. (Catacaos, Piura), and the Asociación para la conservación de la Biodiversidad y Desarrollo Sustentable de los Bosque Secos del Morante (ACBIODESA, Catacaos, Piura) for their assistance in the field labors. We also thank the Laboratory of Quality Control at Alicorp S.A. for their valuable assistance in the analysis of fatty acids, the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture for authorizing sample collection (Permit N° 0058–2009–AG–DGFFS–DGEFFS), and the herbarium of the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia where the specimens collected are preserved. This work was supported by the Programa de Ciencia y Tecnología (FINCyT), Contrato N°002-FINCyT-PIBAP-2009.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus