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Nutritional Analysis of Five Wild Edible Vegetables Traditionally Consumed by the Orang Asli in Perak

Tharmabalan RT

Int J Food Sci, 2021;2021:8823565.
PMID: 34212029 DOI: 10.1155/2021/8823565

The significance of wild edible plants may be traced back to antiquity, and methodological studies are the focus of present food movements to restore culinary traditions. Ethnobotanical appraisal was first done to determine the names and the significance of the five wild edibles used by the Orang Asli, which were Erechtites valerianiaeolia (Link ex Spring) DC, Dendrocalamus asper (Schult.) Backer, Solanum nigrum L., Gomphandra quadrifida (Blume) Sleumer, and Pleocnemia irregularis (C. Presl) Holttum collected from Sungkai, Perak in Malaysia. These wild edibles were then assessed for their proximate and mineral compositions. The present study revealed that the fiber content present in these wild edibles ranged from 2.7 to 12.5 g/100 g, whereas the protein content ranged from 1.8 to 6.8 g/100 g with Gomphandra quadrifida containing the highest amount of fiber and Solanum nigrum recording the highest protein content among the 5 wild edibles. In regard to the micronutreint content, iron was the highest in Gomphandra quadrifida, followed by Pleocnemia irregularis. Calcium and magnesium contents were the highest in Solanum nigrum. The results obtained in this study echo the urgency to conserve these plants in order to promote consumption as well as to improve the health and nutritional status of the Orang Asli.
Fulltext Nutritional Profiles of Four Promising Wild Edible Plants Commonly Consumed by the Semai in Malaysia

Tharmabalan RT

Curr Dev Nutr, 2023 Apr;7(4):100054.
PMID: 37304850 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2023.100054

BACKGROUND: An essential dietary strategy to address the rapidly increasing risk of the double burden of malnutrition among indigenous populations around the world is to improve nutritional and food diversity utilizing varieties of traditional plant-based foods.
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this research was to identify wild edible plants (WEPs) frequently consumed by the Semai and analyze their proximate and mineral composition to improve the adequacy of the local population's nutritional intake.
METHODS: This study was conducted among 24 informants from 3 Semai settlements utilizing semistructured, ethnobotanical appraisal methods, proximate, and mineral analysis.
RESULTS: This research first documents the common names, ethnobotanical names, and uses of 4 WEPs commonly consumed by the Semai: Sayur manis/pucuk manis [Sauropus androgynus (L.) Merr.], Pucuk ubi (Manihot esculenta Crantz), Saya/aying (Strobilanthes crispa Blume), and snegoh [Diplazium esculentum (Retz.) Sw.]. The nutritional content ranged from 3.2 to 7.7 g/100 g (ash), 2.9 to 7.2 g/100 g (protein), 1.5 to 6.2 g/100 g (carbohydrate). The mineral analysis showed that these plants contain considerable calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium content, ranging from 176 to 243 mg/100 g, 0.7 to 2.8 mg/100 g, 295 to 527 mg/100 g, 32 to 97 mg/100 g. A comparative analysis was done with commercial market produce: Ipomoea aquatica, Brassica rapa subsp. Chinensis and Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra. The nutrient content for the 3 produce ranged from 1.2 to 2.6 g/100 g (protein), 2.18 to 4.67 g/100 g (carbohydrate), and 0.59 to 1.67 mg/100 g (iron). The results showed that Manihot esculenta had the highest carbohydrate, calcium, potassium, and magnesium content, whereas the highest ash and protein content was found in Diplazium esculentum.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that these WEPs had higher nutritional and mineral concentrations than select market produce and can be used to strengthen food and nutrition security among the Semai. However, additional information regarding antinutrient, toxic compounds, methods of preparation, and consumption is required to determine how much they contribute to nutritional outcomes before these vegetables may be adopted as new crops. Curr Dev Nutr 2023;x:xx.
Fulltext Regional Diets Targeting Gut Microbial Dynamics to Support Prolonged Healthspan

Low DY, Hejndorf S, Tharmabalan RT, Poppema S, Pettersson S

Front Microbiol, 2021;12:659465.
PMID: 33995322 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.659465

In the last 150 years, we have seen a significant increase in average life expectancy, associated with a shift from infectious to non-communicable diseases. The rising incidence of these diseases, for which age is often the largest risk factor, highlights the need for contemporary societies to improve healthy ageing for their growing silver generations. As ageing is an inevitable, non-reversing and highly individualised process, we need to better understand how non-genetic factors like diet choices and commensal gut microbes can modulate the biology of ageing. In this review, we discuss how geographical and ethnic variations influence habitual dietary patterns, nutrient structure, and gut microbial profiles with potential impact on the human healthspan. Several gut microbial genera have been associated with healthy elderly populations but are highly variable across populations. It seems unlikely that a universal pro-longevity gut microbiome exists. Rather, the optimal microbiome appears to be conditional on the microbial functionality acting on regional- and ethnicity-specific trends driven by cultural food context. We also highlight dietary and microbial factors that have been observed to elicit individual and clustered biological responses. Finally, we identify next generation avenues to modify otherwise fixed host functions and the individual ageing trajectory by manipulating the malleable gut microbiome with regionally adapted, personalised food intervention regimens targeted at prolonging human healthspan.

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