Mineral composition of selected indigenous wild southern African fruits.

• Sixty plant species with edible fruits in southern Africa recorded. • Mineral properties for many fruits reported here for the first time. • Wild indigenous fruits contain high amounts of calcium, potassium and magnesium. • Most fruits tested contain vitamin C, but not vitamin A. Southern Africa harbours a diverse range of wild edible indigenous fruits, which have provided populations with food for years and most are anticipated to have potentially good nutritional value. The aim of this study was to conduct a literature survey as a means to identify knowledge gaps and to conduct mineral and vitamin analyses. A total of 60 species, distributed in 35 families are recorded. Selected 14 fruits were evaluated for their micronutrient composition, namely; minerals and vitamins (A and C). Mineral elements potassium and calcium were present in substantial amounts in most fruits ranging from 522 to 14289 mg/kg. Even though most fruits were high in only one mineral element, Cordyla africana had the highest content of six minerals (i.e. Al, Fe, Mn, Pb, Se and Zn). Most fruits showed the presence of vitamin C and absence of vitamin A. Only Dovyalis longispina (903 mg/100 g), Manilkara mochisia (25 mg/100 g), Garcinia livingstonei (11 mg/100 g) and Syzygium guineense (1.7 mg/100 g) displayed significant amounts of vitamin A. Overall, the study showed that most wild edible fruits have good nutritional value, however, these fruits require more scientific scrutiny in order to thrive in the commercial markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]