Chemical Composition of the Leaves of Four Wild Plants Eaten as Vegetables in Kisangani (DR Congo)

The African tropical forest, in particular that of the DR Congo, constitutes an important reservoir of both animal and plant biodiversity including wild food plants. The leaves of Corchorus tridens, Curcubita pepo, Solanum macrocarpon and Xanthosoma sagittifolium, four spontaneous plants, are consumed less in Kisangani (DR Congo) as vegetables. Various culinary recipes are made with these leaves. Quantitative and qualitative analysis were carried out on the leaves of these plant species in order to determine their nutritional value. It appears from this analysis that the investigated leaves contain proteins (3.47-7.21%), lipids (2.6-4.2%), fibers (2.35-2.51%), sugars (0.6-4.67%), minerals, vitamins and polyphenols. The mineral content (mg/100g) of these leaves varies: calcium (113-985), magnesium (42-890) and iron (16.75-28.26); that of vitamins (mg/100g) also varies: vitamin C (4.13-75), vitamin A (0.13-0.22), vitamin B1 (0.13-0.64), vitamin B2 (0.05-0.21) and vitamin B6 (0.09-0.52). These results show that these wild leafy vegetables are a potential source of nutrients and polyphenols, which justify their food use by the population of Kisangani.