Nutrient Composition of Artocarpus lakoocha Fruit: A Minor Indigenous Fruit Can Meet the Nutrient Requirement of the Rural Peoples of Bangladesh: “Tropentag 2012”, Gottingen, Germany.

Bangladesh has been blessed with a plenty of minor indigenous fruits that are very rich in micronutrients. Minor fruits are edible fruits which have no real commercial value. However, they are rich in vitamins and minerals, are easily accessible to the poor people and can be an economically viable nutrient source. They grow naturally in the wild, relatively free of serious insect and disease problems. As part of the development of a new food composition database for Bangladesh, the minor fruit Artocarpus lakoocha was collected from four different wholesale markets located at entry points to the city of Dhaka and two remote areas of Bangladesh. After washing and drying, which removes unwanted substances from the fruits, the edible part (EP) was analyzed for ascorbic acid, carotenoid, dry matter (DM), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn). Ascorbic acid and the carotenoid content of the fruit samples were analyzed by spectrophotometric measurement. Macrominerals (Ca, Mg, K and P) were analyzed by flame photometric and spectrophotometric procedures and trace elements (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu) were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The results were compared with literature, Indian food composition tables and the United States Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Artocarpus lakoocha contained higher amounts/ of carotenoids (4609.00 µg per 100g EP) and other nutrients than some of the major fruits of Bangladesh. The results of this study will help to create awareness among the people of Bangladesh of the importance of eating more Artocarpus lakoocha fruits and of protecting this tree from extinction in order to maintain biodiversity.