Nutrient Content of Two Indigenous Plant Foods of the Western Sahel:Balanites aegyptiacaandMaerua crassifolia

Populations of the western Sahel consume many different indigenous plant foods, and during times of food scarcity, this dependency increases. In early 1997, the Famine Early Warning System reported that, due to a drought, jiga (Maerua crassifolia) and aduwa (Balanites aegyptiaca) were contributing increasingly to the diets of people living in Chad, Mauritania, and Niger. At present, there are no comprehensive reports published on the nutrient content of these two plant foods. Herein we report the lipid, fatty acid, amino acid, total protein, and mineral contents ofB. aegyptiacamesocarp andM. crassifolialeaves.M. crassifolialeaves contain more protein (39.4%) than the mesocarp ofB. aegyptiaca(7.10%), as well as proportions of the essential amino acids that compare favorably to a World Health Organization protein standard.M. crassifolialeaves can also provide significant amounts of calcium (17 mg/g dry wt), linoleic acid (1.26 mg/g dry wt), and α-linolenic acid (9.29 mg/g dry wt). In summary,M. crassifolialeaves can contribute significantly to the nutrition of populations inhabiting the Sahel.