Nutrient content of scarcely known wild leafy vegetables from northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Wild leafy vegetables are commonly included in the diet of people in rural homesteads of northern KwaZulu-Natal. This study aimed to investigate the nutrient content of one common and nine scarcely known wild leafy vegetables consumed in this area. Ten wild leafy vegetables were analyzed for their proximate composition, amino acids and mineral contents to evaluate their importance in human nutrition. Wild leafy vegetables differed significantly in terms of their nutrient content. Newly recorded and scarcely known wild leafy vegetables Albertisia delagoensis, Ipomoea plebeia, Ipomoea wightii, Limeum sulcatum, Pyrenacantha kaurabassana, Pyrenacantha scandens, Riocreuxia torulosa and Sesamum alatum had all nutrient content higher than well-known Amaranthus hybridus, with very few exceptions. The highest moisture, ash and protein contents as well as total amino acids were recorded in R. torulosa and/or S. alatum. This study recorded for the first time the nutrient content and relationship among nine rare wild leafy vegetables consumed by rural communities in northern KwaZulu-Natal.