Studies on the utilization and proximate composition of wild Aframomum anguistifolium (sonn.) K. Schum fruits in Nakaseke district, Uganda.
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Date
2019
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Journal of Food Agriculture Nutrition and Development
Abstract
Nakaseke district is located in the central region of Uganda and has high abundance of
edible Aframomum anguistifolium (wild cardamom) fruit, locally known as
“Amatuunguru’’. The fruit is consumed by only few people who access it from the wild
and there is limited information on the nutritional benefits of the fruit. This study
determined the utilization and consumptive benefits of A. anguistifolium fruits among the
local communities of Nakaseke district as well as the proximate composition of the fruit.
A cross-sectional survey using an interview guide was conducted to establish the
utilization and consumptive benefits of the fruit while the proximate composition (crude
protein, fat, carbohydrate, fiber and ash, moisture) was determined using standard
methods of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). The results revealed
that fruits are collected and consumed by the local communities because of their
nutritional and medicinal values. A. anguistifolium plant is not domesticated despite the
different consumptive benefits accrued from it. The results revealed that children are the
major collectors (consumers) of the fruit (48%) compared to women and men and they
collect the fruit from the wild as they go about their chores like collecting firewood,
tending grazing animals and fetching water. The fruit’s availability is highest in the rainy
season and maturity indicators include the fruit exocarp turning red in colour. The exocarp
is removed and thrown away during consumption leaving the inside part which is edible.
The fruit was found to contain moisture (72.98%). The content of the dry matter was ash
(13.97%), crude fat (4.35%), crude protein (6.82%), crude fiber (12.55%) and nitrogen-
free extracts/NFE (62.30%). Hence the fruit is a suitable supplement for moisture, fats,
proteins and crude fiber needed in human diet. The plant is still collected from the wild
and grows mainly in swampy areas (wetlands) which are being cleared for agriculture,
settlement and road construction. This plant could be endangered if its conservation is
not prioritized.
Description
Keywords
Aframomum anguistifolium fruits, Consumptive benefits, Utilization, Schum fruits, Nakaseke, Uganda
Citation
Kyayesimira, J., Mawanda, I., Andama, M., & Safari, D. (2019). Studies on the utilization and proximate composition of wild Aframomum anguistifolium (sonn.) K. Schum fruits in Nakaseke district, Uganda. African Journal of Food Agriculture Nutrition and Development, 19(04), 14790–14804. https://doi.org/10.18697/ajfand.87.17605