Nutritional Quality Characteristics of Different Wild and Underutilized Fruits of Terai Region,Uttarakhand (India)

The present study was carried out to analyze the nutritional potential of 25 of the most commonly consumed wild and underutilized fruits in the Terai region of Uttarakhand, India. The result of the different fruits analyzed revealed the richness of different phytochemicals among them. The protein content was found to be higher in Solanum nigrum, Broussonetia papyrifera, and Aegle marmelos, while Terminalia bellerica, Ficus racemosa, and Artocarpus heterophyllus were rich in lipid content. The reducing sugars ranged from 1.1–68.2% and non-reducing sugars varied from 0–6.4%. Vitamin analysis revealed higher ascorbic acid content in Emblica officinalis and Pithecellobium dulce, high riboflavin content in Broussonetia papyrifera and Ficus palmata, and high thiamine content in Artocarpus lakoocha and Solanum nigrum. The phenolic content varied from 32.9–2662.4 mg/100 g, the flavonoids between 1.2–93.8 mg/100 g, and carotenoids ranged between 0–85.7 mg/100 g. These wild fruits proved to be a good source of nutrients. Moreover, these fruit species act as a pool of genetic resources for crop improvement by breeding experiments. It can be suggested to commercialize these fruit species for enhancing the socioeconomic status of weaker section of society.