Nutritional value of unconventional leafy vegetables grown in the Cerrado Biome/Brazil

Abstract Traditional or unconventional vegetables have a wide and rich genetic variability; it is possible to found in farmers markets and other forms of commercialization, in regions where they are part of the food and cultural context. Species of leafy vegetables such as Rumex acetosa, Basella alba, Tropaeolum majus, Pereskia aculeata, Stachys byzantina, Xanthosoma taioba, Hibiscus sabdariffa, among others, totaling 14 species, were grown under the conditions of the Cerrado Biome/Brazil and characterized as to their proximate and mineral composition. Dietary fiber content of Stachys byzantina was the highest (13.21 g 100 g-1) among the species. The potassium content in Lactuca canadenses, Rumex acetosa, Portulaca oleracea, and Hibiscus sabdariffa, exceeds 500 mg 100 g-1. More than 100 mg 100 g-1 of magnesium were found in six species and more than 100 mg 100 g-1 of calcium for another nine species. Values of phosphorus in Talinum paniculatum and Hibiscus sabdariffa were 84.50 mg 100 g-1 and 138.23 mg 100 g-1, respectively. The Hibiscus sabdariffa (2.39 mg 100 g-1) were prominent as good source of zinc. A Rumex acetosa, Portulaca oleracea e Stachys byzantina, plant presented expressive iron contents, above 5 mg 100 g-1. These values are comparable or superior to conventional leafy vegetables and denote the potential of these species for consumption and commercialization, thus a greater dissemination of their nutritional values is necessary.