Proximate nutritional, elemental and phytochemical analysis of selected wild edible plants of District Malakand, Pakistan

The objective of this survey was to examine the nutritional, elemental and phytochemical analyses of selected wild edible species of Disttrict Malakand Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The selected wild edible species Ammaranthus virdis, Chenopodium album, Malva neglecta, Nasturtium officinale and Rumex dentatus were collected from the study site and were subjected to nutritional, elemental and phytochemical analysis. The results of the present nutritional analysis of these selected wild edible species disclosed that these plants possess proteins, fats, fibers, carbohydrates and caloric energy. The Energy Dispersive X-Rays Analysis (EDX) analysis of powdered plants sample showed that these plants also possess the much needed and fundamental elements of human diet like carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, magnesium, sulfur, potassium, phosphorus, aluminium, calcium, silicon, copper, iron and chlorine. Through the qualitative phytochemical screening, it was noticed that, important phytochemical substances such as steroids, saponins, flavonoids, phenols, alkaloids, glycosides and tannins were there in the methanolic extract of the plants. The study demonstrated that such wild edible plants are the inexpensive and rich source of essential and fundamental nutrients, elements and phytochemicals.


Introduction
The plants which grow on their own in natural habitats and are used as a food are called wild edible plants (WEPs) [1]. From prehistoric period, human beings are using these WEPs to fulfill their own dietary and dietetic necessities and to gratify their hunger. The consumption of such edible species for nutrition and diet are considered fundamental and central chunk of the values and traditions of the local folks throughout the globe [2]. These wild edible species not only offer chief and complementary nutrients but are also a source of income for the local communities, thus guaranteeing food security. The native people, from their own experiences, have knowledge about the significance and role of such plants in their daily diet but are also conscious about the probable well-being and ecological threats [3]. These plants are well acknowledged for their indispensable biochemical and nutritional position as these plants contain a reasonable amount of fibers, fats, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins [4,5]. From traditional and cultural point of view wild native plants were dynamic sources of minerals and vitamins and always played an important role in times of food scarcity, and were also used as herbal remedies [6]. It was supposed and confirmed about these WEPs that they possess useful elements and its uses have always been a good influence on human health.
Determination of carbohydrates Difference method was used to calculate carbohydrates. The total of ash%, fibers%, proteins% and fats% were subtracted from 100 % according to AOAC methods [14]. The formula used is as follow.

Determination of caloric energy
Caloric energy value in a plant sample was calculated when the sum total of carbohydrates and proteins are multiplied by a factor 4 and that of crude fats by a factor 9 according to official methods of analysis [14].

Elemental analysis
The Energy Dispersive X-Rays Analysis (EDX) of powdered plant samples were carried out at Central Resource Laboratory, University of Peshawar Pakistan. About 2 grams of powdered sample was transferred to a metal pellet using (JEE 420) cello tape and coated with gold by using Vacuum Evaporator (JEOL

Results and Discussion
Moisture content, ash content, and nutritional analyses of WEPs are represented in (Table  1). Moisture in Nasturtium officinale was (90.20%) and the lowest moisture content was found in Amaranthus viridis (81.24%). The dry matter content was maximum in Amaranthus viridis (18.76%) and lowest in Nasturtium officinale (9.80%). The Ash content was found maximum in Chenopodium album (18.90%) and was found minimum in Rumex dentatus (16.45%). The highest value of fibers was observed in Malva neglecta (16.50%) and lowest value was observed in Rumex dentatus (12.40%). The value of crude fats was found maximum in Nasturtium officinale (3.96%) and minimum value was found in Malva neglecta (2.25%). The crude proteins were found maximum in Rumex dentatus (11.95%) and minimum in Nasturtium officinale (6.18%). The highest value of Carbohydrates was observed in Nasturtium officinale (58.24%) and lowest in Malva neglecta (52.82%). The result obtained from the caloric value was highest for Rumex dentatus (298.75%) and lowest for Malva neglecta (271.13%). The elemental analysis of the selected WEPs are shown ( Table 2). The results showed that these wild edible species contain essential elements. These plants are therefore, thought to be a major source of essential elements and can be used as one of the potential and cheap source of essential elements in the human diet. The highest value of carbon was found in Chenopodium album (58.56%) and lowest value was found in Amaranthus viridis (49.54%). The oxygen was found maximum in Nasturtium officinale (36.13%) and minimum value was found in Chenopodium album (29.24%). The value of nitrogen was observed maximum in Amaranthus viridis (6.51%) and minimum in Nasturtium officinale (4.72%). The value of potassium was highest in Chenopodium album (9.37%) and lowest in Nasturtium officinale (2.62%).

Conclusion
The recent research work revealed that WEPs possess latent to offer all the essential nutrients to the human beings. Amaranthus viridis, Chenopodium album, Malva neglecta, Nasturtium officinale and Rumex dentatus were found as excellent basis of fibers, fats, proteins, fats, carbohydrates and energy. These plants were also found to be a useful basis of indispensable elements like as C, O, N, P, K, Mg, S, Al, Si, Cu, Fe, Na and Cl. The phytochemical screening of the extracts of these wild edibles showed the occurrence of important phytochemicals such as phenols, glycosides, saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins and steroids. Presence of these phytochemicals in WEPs showed that these plants also have high healing potential.