Nutritional Properties of some Wild Edible Plant Species in Turkey

Abstract

Wild edible plants play an important role in daily diet of Turkish people. They have been used for food and also for medicinal purposes. Turkey is one of the important countries with its rich biodiversity in wild edibles and consists of more than 11.000 plant species. Most of the wild edible species can potentially make a considerable contribution to dietary requirements, so nutrient properties of these species should be determined to demonstrate the nutritional value of agricultural biodiversity. In this study some wild edible species from three different biogeographic regions of the Aegean, Black Sea and Mediterranean were collected and analyzed to demonstrate the nutritional value of some wild edibles in Turkey. Proximates, dietary fiber (DF), minerals and vitamin C were assayed using standard methods and reference materials. The findings of this study show that most of the wild edible species can considerably contribute to requirements of dietary fiber, vitamin C and some minerals such as iron, potassium and phosphorus. These species could be a good alternative to other commonly consumed plants due to their high nutrient content. However, preparation methods and consumption ways are also important in the evaluation of their contribution to dietary requirements.

Keywords

• Biodiversity,wild edibles,nutrient composition

Bazı Yabani Yenilebilir Bitki Türlerinin Besin Özellikleri

Öz

Yenilebilir yabani bitkiler, Türk halkının günlük beslenmesinde önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Gıda olarak ve tıbbi amaçlar için kullanılmaktadır. Türkiye yenilebilir yabani türler açısından zengin bir biyoçeşitliliğe sahiptir ve 11.000'den fazla bitki türü barındırmaktadır. Yenilebilir yabani bitkiler günlük beslenme gereksinimlerinin karşılanmasında önemli bir yere sahiptir ve tarımsal biyoçeşitliliğin besin değerinin ortaya konulabilmesi için bu türlerin besin ögesi kompozisyonlarının belirlenmesi önem arz etmektedir. Çalışmada Ege, Karadeniz ve Akdeniz olmak üzere üç farklı biyocoğrafik bölgeden 12 farklı yenilebilir yabani bitki türü toplanarak besin ögesi kompozisyonunu belirlemek amacıyla analizler yapılmıştır. Standart yöntemler ve referans materyaller kullanılarak makro besin öğesi, mineral ve C vitamini analizleri gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışmanın bulguları, yenilebilir yabani bitkilerin çoğunun diyet lifi, C vitamini, demir, potasyum ve fosfor gibi bazı besin ögeleri açısından beslenmemize önemli ölçüde katkıda bulunduğunu göstermektedir. Bu bitkiler, yüksek besin içeriğinden dolayı yaygın olarak tüketilen diğer bitkilere alternatif olarak tüketilebilirler. Bununla birlikte, hazırlama yöntemleri ve tüketim şekli de beslenme gereksinimlerine olan katkının değerlendirilmesinde göz önünde bulundurulmalıdır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Biyolojik çeşitlilik,yenilebilir yabani bitkiler,besin kompozisyonu

Kaynakça

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