<i>Nymphaea lotus</i> L. and <i>Nymphaea micrantha</i> Guill. et Perr Seeds as Cereal Substitute in the Delta of Senegal River

Abstract

Studies conducted in the delta and lower valley of Senegal river have demonstrated through ethnobotanical surveys, the importance of Nymphaea lotus L. and Nymphaea micrantha Guill. et Perr in the diet and in the pharmacopoeia. The seeds are used with good appreciation by the indigenous population as a welding food. But studies addressing their biochemical and nutritional aspects are still very rare in the literature. This study was initiated in order to fill this gap and allow a better appreciation of the nutritional and energetic potentialities of these seeds. For this purpose, seeds were collected in effluent from the Senegal River, dried in the shade and put into three different batches: a batch of red seeds of N. lotus , a batch of Black seeds of N . lotus and a batch of seeds of N. micrantha . The biochemical analyses gave their moisture content (9.17% ± 0.2% to 13.36% ± 3.46%), aw (0.46% to 0.71%), protein (7.90% ± 1.25% to 8.24% ± 0.5%), lipid (2.32% ± 0.45% to 4.29% ± 1.0%), carbohydrate (74.49% ± 0.9% and 77.66% ± 1.65%), mineral matter (1.77% ± 0.06% to 2.55% ± 0.08%). All three types of seeds have high levels of potassium (481.10% ± 17.62% to 770.81% ± 42.33%), magnesium (312.71% ± 14.08% to 518.67% ± 15.23%) and calcium (188.81% ± 8.52% to 296.52% ± 16%. Their energy values (350.54 ± 15.21 kcal/100g to 375.7 ± 3.48 Kcal/100g), are closed to other cereals consumed in the human diet in Senegal. Therefore, these seeds offer the opportunity to diversify the diet in the delta and lower valley of the Senegal River.