International Journal of
Nutrition and Metabolism

  • Abbreviation: Int. J. Nutr. Metab.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2141-2332
  • DOI: 10.5897/IJNAM
  • Start Year: 2009
  • Published Articles: 128

Full Length Research Paper

Fatty acid, amino acid, mineral and antioxidant contents of acha (Digitaria exilis) grown on the Jos Plateau, Nigeria

Robert H. Glew
  • Robert H. Glew
  • Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
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Emmanuel P. Laabes
  • Emmanuel P. Laabes
  • Department of Family Medicine, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.
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Jack M. Presley
  • Jack M. Presley
  • Genome Center Proteomics Core, Molecular Structure Facility, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
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John Schulze
  • John Schulze
  • Genome Center Proteomics Core, Molecular Structure Facility, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
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Ronnee Andrews
  • Ronnee Andrews
  • National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety, Ohio, USA.
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Yuan-Chen Wang
  • Yuan-Chen Wang
  • Department of Biotechnology, Yuanpei University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
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Yu-Chen Chang
  • Yu-Chen Chang
  • Department of Biotechnology, Yuanpei University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
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Lu-Te Chuang
  • Lu-Te Chuang
  • Department of Biotechnology, Yuanpei University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
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  •  Accepted: 04 December 2012
  •  Published: 31 January 2013

Abstract

Digitaria exilis (Kippist) Stapf (also known as acha, hungry rice) has been cultivated for millennia in the dry savannahs of West Africa, but much remains to be learned about its nutritional properties. Acha was collected in four villages in Northern Nigeria and analyzed for fatty acids, minerals, amino acids and antioxidant content. Fatty acids accounted for 1.91% of the dry weight, with 47.4% linoleic acid and 30.5% oleic acid. The content of the essential minerals, copper, magnesium, molybdenum, zinc and calcium averaged 4.88, 1060, 0.23, 23.0 and 172 μg/g, respectively. The protein content was 6.53% and the essential amino acid pattern, except for lysine, compared favorably to a World Health Organization (WHO) reference protein. The total polyphenolic content of methanolic extracts of acha matched that of common cereals (for example, maize, rice, wheat) and the extracts contained substantial amounts of free-radical scavenging substances. Thus, acha is a source of many nutrients critical to human health.

 

Key words: Acha, fatty acids, minerals, amino acids, polyphenols.

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This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

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