Dietary fibre is known to provide health benefit and protect against degenerative chronic diseases. Thus, the present study reports the total dietary fibre (TDF) content of sixty-nine selected ethnic and unconventional vegetables and fruits growing in Bangladesh. The samples were collected from different locations of Bangladesh and mixed together to ensure sample representativeness. Dietary fibre assay kit according to the AOAC method was utilized for the analysis of TDF in selected vegetables and fruits. In the ethnic varieties, the TDF content ranged from 1.02 ±0.16 to 7.16 ±0.16 g for leafy (LV), 0.18 ±0.01 to 6.71 ±0.49 g for non-leafy vegetables (NLV) and 1.21 ±0.12 to 5.29 ±0.20 g for fruits per 100 g edible portion (EP). In the unconventional items, it arrayed from 3.08 ±0.34 g to 7.75 ±0.13 g for LV and 1.02 ±0.06 to 8.82 ±0.40 g for NLV per 100 g EP. Among the analysed samples, the highest and lowest content of TDF was found in Orohordal and Mairabokong, respectively. The unconventional vegetables contained much higher content of TDF than the ethnics and the commonly consumed similar varieties. Data on TDF content in underutilized vegetables and fruits of Bangladesh is sparse. Thus, the finding of this study would fill up the data gap in the existing food composition table of Bangladesh and also would aware the people to take vegetables and fruits rich in fibres.
In the recent years, health benefits of dietary fibre in
reducing the risk of many chronic diseases have extensively
been addressed (
Data on dietary fibre are sparse. Bangladesh does not yet
have its own dietary fibre data; some data are being
generated for a few common foods. Dietary fibre data for
ethnic or unconventional foods have not yet been generated
or reported elsewhere. In our present-attempt to prepare a
food composition database for Bangladesh with special
reference to ethnic foods (
The content of total dietary fibre was evaluated in different types of leafy vegetables, non-leafy vegetables and fruits consumed by specific tribal community of Bangladesh. We presumed that there exist a significant difference with respect to total dietary fibre, measured by AOAC method, in different indigenous leafy and non-leafy vegetables, as well as fruit species.
Total dietary fibre assay kit (TDF-100) was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (Saint Louis, MO, USA). Reagent grade ethanol, acetone, dibasic sodium phosphate, sodium phosphate, sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid was procured from Merck (Darmstadt, Germany).
This study included analysis of total dietary fibre content for sixty-nine vegetables and fruits of ethnic and unconventional varieties grown in Chittagong Hill Tracts comprised twenty-eight leafy and seventeen non-leafy vegetables and six fruits; and unconventional group consisted of fifteen leafy and three non-leafy vegetables.
Multi-region sampling plan was employed for collection of
the food sample. To conform to the representative sample
principle- “what the mass people consume’ and from where
they collect it”? (
A taxonomist (Dr. Maksuda Khatun) of the Department of
Botany, University of Dhaka, who was also accompanied
the collection team, and confirmed the sample identity with
name and family. The collected samples are listed in the
Table
Ethnic leafy, non-leafy vegetables and fruits tested for TDF.
SN | Local Name | English Name | Scientific Name | Family | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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Leafy vegetable | |||||
|
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1 | Simeialu pata | Cassava leaves | |||
2 | Konguloaga | unavailable | Unavailable | unavailable | |
3 | Sineiyeshak | unavailable | Unavailable | unavailable | |
4 | Bat baittashak | Blue commelina | |||
5 | Sakumubakla | Lawn marsh | |||
6 | Kamino shak | unavailable | |||
7 | Amsurothi | unavailable | Unavailable | unavailable | |
8 | Noyalong | Trailing Smartweed | |||
9 | Monjori | unavailable | Unavailable | unavailable | |
10 | Yangfo | Banyan Tree | |||
11 | Missayanu | unavailable | |||
12 | Felong dal shak | Common Bean | |||
13 | Gaiboma | unavailable | |||
14 | Chikipung | Rosy Dock | |||
15 | Ambush | unavailable | |||
16 | Mrolapiong | Bitter Cassava | |||
17 | Projuktipata | Arrow leaf False | |||
18 | Khoro pata | unavailable | |||
19 | Katoldingi | Arum | |||
20 | Kasani | False pickerelweed | |||
21 | Saimya | Lime, Sour Lime, | |||
22 | Balapatauc | Pouzolzia | |||
23 | Moroi shak | Fennel | |||
24 | Kochi aampata | Mango leaf | |||
25 | Dimeypata | Bitter leaves | |||
26 | Maisapagoh | Wild coriander | |||
27 | Moikhumu | Edible fern | |||
28 | Gondhobatali | unavailable | |||
|
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|
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29 | Oraibalai | unavailable | |||
30 | Shimeful | Red cotton flower | |||
31 | Sengetur/seng | unavailable | |||
32 | Betagi | Canereed | |||
33 | Bas koral | Berry bamboo | |||
34 | Mairabokong | unavailable | Unavailable | unavailable | |
35 | Laigraobokong | unavailable | Unavailable | unavailable | |
36 | Non hong he | Turmeric | |||
37 | Khirar data | Cucumber stem | |||
38 | Pudukroi | unavailable | |||
39 | Sakdusi | Crispy brinjal | |||
40 | Fala | Not known | |||
41 | Forashdal | Kidney been | |||
42 | Kiokokro | unavailable | Unavailable | unavailable | |
43 | Moalu | Yam | |||
44 | Rangajhumalu | Greater/water Yam | |||
45 | Mulachi | Radish |
Ethnic leafy, non-leafy vegetables and fruits tested for TDF.
SN | Local Name | English Name | Scientific Name | Family | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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Leafy vegetable | |||||
|
|||||
46 | Sindire | Oriental cantaloupe | |||
47 | Rosko | unavailable | |||
48 | Kushumgulo | Bead tree | |||
49 | Jogunagula | Common red stem fig | |||
50 | Jonglikolauc | Bronze banana | |||
51 | Jongli/Bonaam | Wild mango |
Unconventional leafy and non-leafy vegetables tested for TDF.
SN | Local Name | English Name | Scientific Name | Family | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||
Leafy vegetables | |||||
|
|||||
52 | Chimtishak | Small knotweed | |||
53 | Bon palong | Bitter dock | |||
54 | Tit begun shak | Black night shade | |||
55 | Bondhonia | Wild coriander | |||
56 | Vennapata | Venna leaves | |||
57 | Orohorpata | Pigeon pea | |||
58 | Bet gach | Korok bet | |||
59 | Sornolota/ Torulota | Dodder | |||
60 | Sadakoroipata | Labbec tree | |||
61 | Telakucha | Ivy gourd | |||
62 | Tetulpata | Tamarind tree | |||
63 | Muktajhuri | Indian acalypha | |||
64 | Khudemanik | Thankuni leaves | |||
65 | Roktodrone | Red verticulia | |||
66 | Jolpai pata | Indian olive leaves | |||
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67 | Rakahlshosha | Wood cumber | |||
68 | Orohordal | Pigeon pea | |||
69 | Jam alu | Potato |
Photograph of the selected ethnic leafy vegetable samples studied.
Photograph of the selected ethnic non-leafy vegetable and fruit samples studied.
Photograph of the selected unconventional vegetable samples studied.
Each of the collected samples was cleaned with tap water and then rinsed with distilled water, gently swabbed with tissue paper to remove trace of water and air dried. The airdried sample was diced or cut into small pieces (peeled where needed) using a clean stainless steel knife on a dried clean plastic cutting board.
The diced sample was mixed, and a weighted portion was
spread in stainless steel plate(s) and then dried in air-oven
at 100 – 105 °C to constant weight (
The total dietary fibre was estimated by the enzymatic and
gravimetric method of the Association of the Official
Analytical Chemists (
The residue was filtered and washed with ethanol and acetone; which was then dried overnight in an air-oven until it reduced to constant weight or nearest 0.1 mg. After drying, half of the sample was analyzed for protein and the other half was burnt to ash.
Total dietary fibre content in the samples was calculated according to the below mentioned formula.
Where: TDF= Total Dietary Fibres, R= average residue weight (mg), P= average protein weight (mg), A= average ash weight (mg), SM= average sample weight (mg), Blank (containing only solvent)= Rblank- Pblank-Ablank. Residues were corrected for protein, ash and blank in final calculation.
The analysis was carried out in triplicates. Descriptive
statistics were performed and values were expressed as
mean ± standard deviation. One-way analysis of variance
(ANOVA) was employed to evaluate the differences among
varieties for total dietary fibre content and was declared
significant when
Table
Total dietary fibre of ethnic leafy vegetables.
SN | Leafy vegetable (Local name) | TDF g per 100 g edible portion |
---|---|---|
|
||
1 | Simei alu pata | 1.02 ±0.16 |
2 | Konguloaga | 2.07 ±0.09 |
3 | Sineiyeshak | 2.36 ±0.33 |
4 | Bat baittashak | 1.96 ±0.15 |
5 | Sakumubakla | 4.06 ±0.30 |
6 | Kamino shak | 1.87 ±0.16 |
7 | Amsurothi | 1.79 ±0.22 |
8 | Noyalong | 1.74 ±0.18 |
9 | Monjori | 1.12 ±0.07 |
10 | Yangfo | 2.16 ±0.10 |
11 | Missayanu | 5.06 ±0.05 |
12 | Felong dal shak | 1.89 ±0.12 |
13 | Gaiboma | 1.97 ±0.12 |
14 | Chikipung | 2.14 ±0.15 |
15 | Ambush | 2.08 ±0.16 |
16 | Mrolapiong | 2.41 ±0.23 |
17 | Projuktipata | 1.67 ±0.26 |
18 | Khoro pata | 1.18 ±0.19 |
19 | Katoldingi | 1.68 ±0.14 |
20 | Kasani | 1.88 ±0.10 |
21 | Saimya | 2.07 ±0.05 |
22 | Balapata | 1.26 ±0.18 |
23 | Moroi shak | 1.45 ±0.17 |
24 | Kochi aampata | 4.35 ±0.33 |
25 | Dimeypata | 1.12 ±0.02 |
26 | Maisapagoh | 1.34 ±0.04 |
27 | Moikhumu | 2.09 ±0.10 |
28 | Gondhobatali | 7.16 ±0.16 |
Note: Different superscript letters in each column indicates the significant differences in the mean at
Total dietary fibre of ethnic non-leafy vegetables.
SI | Non-Leafy vegetable (Local name) | TDF g per 100 g edible portion |
---|---|---|
|
||
29 | Oraibalai | 6.71 ±0.49 |
30 | Shimeful | 4.90 ±0.24 |
31 | Sengetur/senga | 1.70 ±0.02 |
32 | Betagi | 4.37 ±0.34 |
33 | Bas koral | 2.19 ±0.14 |
34 | Mairabokong | 0.18 ±0.01 |
35 | Laigraobokong | 1.27 ±0.26 |
36 | Non hong he | 2.98 ±0.05 |
37 | Khirar data | 2.13 ±0.02 |
38 | Pudukroi | 3.44 ±0.25 |
39 | Sakdusi | 2.51 ±0.47 |
40 | Fala | 2.41 ±0.32 |
41 | Forashdal | 2.63 ±0.42 |
42 | Kiokokro | 0.74 ±0.12 |
43 | Moalu | 2.28 ±0.37 |
44 | Ranga jhum alu | 1.65 ±0.13 |
45 | Mulachi | 4.74 ±0.23 |
Note: Different superscript letters in each column indicates the significant differences in the mean at
Total dietary fibre of ethnic fruits.
SI | Fruits (Local name) | TDF g per 100 g edible portion | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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46 | Sindire | 1.94 ±0.13 |
|||
47 | Rosko | 4.38 ±0.46 |
|||
48 | Kushumgulo | 1.21 ±0.1 |
|||
49 | Jogunagula | 2.78 ±0.21 |
|||
50 | Jonglikola | 3.06 ±0.09 |
|||
51 | Jongli/Bonaam | 5.29 ±0.20 |
Note: Different superscript letters in each column indicates the significant differences in the mean at
Total dietary fibre of unconventional vegetables.
SI | Leafy vegetables (Local name) | TDF g per 100 g edible portion | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||
52 | Chimtishak | 7.75 ±0.13 |
|||
53 | Bon palong | 4.69 ±0.33 |
|||
54 | Tit begun shak | 4.65 ±0.13 |
|||
55 | Bondhonia | 6.27±0.33 |
|||
56 | Vennapata | 4.49 ±0.38 |
|||
57 | Orohorpata | 6.64 ±0.25 |
|||
58 | Bet gach | 7.16 ±0.41 |
|||
59 | Sornolota/ Torulota | 6.12 ±0.36 |
|||
60 | Sadakoroipata | 3.08 ±0.34 |
|||
61 | Telakucha | 7.32 ±0.34 |
|||
62 | Tetulpata | 6.29 ±0.16 |
|||
63 | Muktajhuri | 6.85 ±0.46 |
|||
64 | Khudemanik | 3.33 ±0.29 |
|||
65 | Roktodrone | 6.56 ±0.11 |
|||
66 | Jolpai pata | 5.74 ±0.06 |
|||
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67 | Rakahlshosha | 1.02 ±0.06 |
|||
68 | Orohordal | 8.82 ±0.40 |
|||
69 | Jam alu | 5.19 ±0.22 |
Note: Different superscript letters in each column indicates the significant differences in the mean at
The present study indicates that amongst the vegetables and fruits those were tested, Orohordal contains the highest amount of total dietary fibre (8.82 ±0.40 g per 100 g fresh edible portion).
It was followed by Chimtishak, Telakucha, Betgach,
Gondhobatali, Muktajhuri, Orhorpata, Oraibalai,
Roktodrone, Tetulpata, Bondhonia, Sornolota, which also
contain rich amount of dietary fibre ranging from 7.75
±0.13 to 6.12 ±0.36 g per 100 g fresh edible portion. The
other vegetables such as Jolpaipata, Jonglaam, Jamalu,
Missayanu, Shimeful, Mulachi, Bonpalong, Titbegun,
Vennapata, Rosko, Betagi, Kochi aampata, Sakumubakla
also contain a high amount of TDF (5.74 ±0.06 to
4.06 ±0.30 g per 100 g fresh edible portion). For leafy
vegetable, the lowest TDF was present in Simeialupata
(1.02 ±0.16 g per 100 g fresh edible portion). Among the
fruits, Jongliaam or Bonaam has the highest amount of TDF
(5.29 ±0.20 g per 100 g fresh edible portion), followed by
Rosko (4.38 ±0.46 g per 100 g fresh edible portion) and
Jonglikola (3.06 ±0.09 g per 100 g fresh edible portion).
The study findings also indicate that the unconventional
vegetables contain higher amount of total dietary fibre
(5.65 ±1.85 g per 100 g fresh edible portion) as compared
to the ethnic vegetables (2.52 ±1.48 g per 100 g fresh edible
portion). In case of most food items, the content of dietary
fibre in ethnic vegetables was found to be, somewhat,
comparable to that of commonly consumed vegetables in
Bangladesh (
Similarly, Jongliaam and Joglikola were found to contain
higher amount of dietary fibre (5.29 and 3.06 g per 100 g
fresh edible portion respectively) as compared to the mango
(3.65 or 1.5 g per 100 g fresh edible portion) and banana
(1.90 or 2.6 g per 100 g fresh edible portion) (
In the ethnic Mulachi and Green Chilli, the total dietary fibre was found to be almost same (4.74 vs 4.90 g per 100 g fresh edible portion). The recommended dietary intake (RDI) of TDF for an adult human is 30 – 38 g per day and the consumption of these ethnic and unconventional vegetables and fruits can contribute up to 30% of RDI of TDF.
Some of ethnic vegetable and fruits such as Gondhobatali, Oraibalai, Shimeful, Rosko, Betagi, Kochi aampata, Jongliaam and most of the unconventional vegetables were found to contain rich amount of total dietary fibre. The findings of present study would encourage people to adapt dietary diversity. Cultivation and regular intake of plant foods rich in fibre might reduce the risk of many diseases. It would also go a long way in filling up the data gap that exists in food composition database for Bangladesh.