Nutritional composition of some lesser-known fruits used by the ethnic communities and local folks of Kerala

Abstract

Wild edible fruits play a significant role in the dietary requirements of the tribal and local communities of Kerala. Out of 218 species of fruit plants collected from the wild, fruits of ten species based on their individual merit were selected for chemical analysis. Estimation of moisture, protein, fats, reducing, non-reducing and total sugars, fiber, total mineral matter, vitamin C, iron, sodium, potassium and energy value were carried out and the results are compared with the nutritive value of ten common cultivar fruits.