NUTRITIONAL FACTS ABOUT TROPICAL FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Have you ever tried to figure out the value a food holds for you? At the back of a cereal box or in a book on nutrition you can read that the food for example has 18 mg niacin per 100 gram. But do you know if one 100 gram serving of food satisfies your RDA or Recommended Dietary Allowance? And of course, did you read plenty of articles about food which is high in one nutrient and low in another, yet not known what they meant by high and low. To bring these usually very hard-to-comprehend theories down to more understandable and simple notions is the aim of this article. The nutritionist, Jim Duke, devised a scoring system of percentages of the RDA in simple gradings from extremely low = E, low = L, high = H, to very high = V, as for;
Calcium: [C¹] less than 8gm/100g is scored very low (E) from 8 to 80mg/100g is scored low (L) from 80 to 800mg/100g is scored high (H) and from 800 and more is scored very high (V)	Calories: [C²] less than 27 calories/100g is scored very low E 27 to 270 calories/100g is low L 270 up to 2700 calories/100g is scored high H
Fiber: [F] less than 0.1g/100g is E up to 19/100g is L 1 to 10g/100g is H 10 to 100g is V	Iron: [I] less than 0.18 mg/100g is E 0.18 to 1.8 mg/100g is L 1.8 to 18mg/100g is H 18 or more mg/100g is scored V
Magnesium: [M] to 3.5mg/100g is E 3.5 to 35mg/100g is L 35 to 350mg/100g is H 350 or more per 100g is V	Niacin: [N] less than 0.18mg/100g is E 0.18 to 1.8mg/100g is L 1.8 to 18mg/100g is H 18 or more per 100g is V
Phosphorus: [P¹] less than 8mg/100g is E 8 to 80mg/100g is L 80 to 800mg/100g is H 800 or more per 100g is V	Potassium: [P¹] less than 25 mg/100g is E 25 to 250mg/100g is L 250 to 2500mg/100g is H 2500 or more mg/100g is V
Protein: [P³] less than 0.56g/100g is E 0.56 to 5.6g/100g is L 5.6 to 56g/100g is H 56g or more per 100g is V	Riboflavin: [R] less than 0.018mg/100g is E 0.018 to 0.18 is L 0.18 to 1.8 is H 1.8 or more mg per 100g is V
Sodium: [S] less than 46mg/100g is E 46 to 460 is L 460 to 4600 is H and more than 4600mg/100g is V	Thiamin: [T] less than 0.014mg/100g is E 0.014 to 0.14 is L 0.14 to 1.4 is H and more than 1.4mg/100g is V
Vitamin A: [V¹] less than 50 IU or 30µg (micrograms) carotene/100g is E 50 to 500 IU or 30 to 300 µg /100g is L 500 to 5000 IU or 300 to 3000 µg /100g is H 5000 IU or 3000µg or more per 100g is V	Vitamin C [V²]: less than 0.45mg ascorbic acid/100g is E 0.45 to 4.5mg ascorbic acid/100g is L 4. 5 to 45mg ascorbic acid/100g is H 45mg or more ascorbic acid/100g is V

Editor's note, January, 2011. The following list contains several clear errors of identification and incorrect association of a common name with the botanical name. In these cases, the common name was changed to match the botanical name. For example, Syzygium aromaticum was labeled as 'Allspice'. Trapa natans is a lesser-known type of water chestnut of the Lythraceae family and is not related to the 'Chinese' water chestnut, Eleocharis dulcis of the Cyperaceae family. However, it is possible that the data is for the Chinese Water Chestnut

It is possible that the 'Mamey sapote' has been confused with the 'Mammee Apple'. The data may or may not be for the Mammee Apple.

Common Name	Scientific Name	C¹	C²	F	I	M	N	P¹	P²	P³	R	S	T	V¹	V²
Abiu	Pouteria caimito	L	L	L	L		H	L		L	L		L	L	V
Acerola	Malphigia panicifolia, M. glabra	H	L	H	H		H	H		H	H		H	V	V
African breadfruit	Treculia africana	H	H	H				H		H
Akee	Blighia sapida	L	L	H	H		L	L		L	L		H	H	H
Amaranth (bajem)	Amaranthus tricolor	H	L	H	H		L	L	H	L	L		L	V	V
Ambarella	Spondias dulicis	L	L	H	L		L	L	L	E	L	E	L	L	H
Arrowroot	Maranta arundinacea	L	H	H	H		L	L		L	L		L		H
Avocado	Persea americana	L	H	H	L	H	L	L	H	L	H	E	L	L	H
Babaco	Carica pentagona	L	E	L	L		L	L		L	L		L	L	H
Baelfruit	Aegle marmelos	H	L	H	L		L	L	H	L	H		H	L	H
Bamboo shoots	Bambusa spp.	L	L	L	L		L	L	H	L	L		H	E	L
Banana	Musa x paradisica	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	H	L	L	E	L	L	H
Beans, Mung	Vigna radiata	H	H	H	H		H	H	L	H	H	E	H	L
Betelnut	Areca catechu	H	H	V	H		L	L	H	H	H	L	H	E	E
Bignay (buni)	Antidesma bunius	L	L	L	L		L	L		L	L		E	E	H
Bilimbi	Averrhoa bilimbi	E	E	L	L		L	L	L	L	L	E	E	E	V
Binjai mango	Mangifera caesia	L	L		E			L		L			L	E	V
Black mulberry	Morus nigra	L	L	L	H		L	L	L	L	L	L	L	E	H
Blueberry	Vaccinium corymbosum	L	L	H	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	E	L	L	H
Brazilnut	Bertholettia excelsa	H	H	H	H	H	L	H	H	H	L	E	H	E
Breadfruit	Artocapus altilis	L	L	H	L		L	L	H	L	L	E	L	E	H
Bullock's heart	Annona reticulata	L	L	H	L		L	L		L	L		L	E	H
Canary nut	Canarium schweinfurthii	H	H	H				V		H
Candlenut	Aleurites molucca	H	H		H			H		H			L	E	E
Canistel	Lucuma nervosa	L	L	H	L		L	L		L	L		L	H	H
Canna (Q arrowroot)	Canna edulis	L	L	L	L		L	L		L	E		L	H	H
Carambola	Averrhoa carambola	L	L	L	L		L	L	L	L	L	E	L	L	L
Carissa	Carissa spp		L	L			L		E	L		L	E	H
Carob	Ceratonia siliqua	H	L	H				H		L
Cashewnut	Anacardium occidentale	L	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	E	H	L
Cassava	Manihot esculenta	L	L	H	L		L	L	H	L	L	E	L	E	H
Cattley guava	Psidium cattleianum	L	L	H	L		L	L		E	L		L	L	H
Ceylon gooseberry	Doyvalis hebecarpa	L	L	H	L		L	L		L	L		L	L	V
Cherimoya	Annona cherimola	L	L	H	L		L	L		L	L		L	E	H
Chinese jujube	Zizyphus jujuba	L	L	H	L		L	L	H	L	L	E	L	L	V
Citron	Citrus medica	L	L		H			L					L	V
Clove	Syzygium aromaticum	H	L	H	H		L	L		L	L		L	H	V
Coconut	Cocos nucifera	L	H	H	L	H	L	H	H	L	L	E	L	E	L
Common Name	Scientific Name	C¹	C²	F	I	M	N	P¹	P²	P³	R	S	T	V¹	V²
Cocoplum	Chrysobalanus icaco	L	L	H	L		L	L		E	L		L	E	H
Green sapote	Calocarpum viride	L	L	H	L		H	L		L	L		E	E	H
Grumichama	Eugenia dombeyii	L	L	L	L		L	L		L	L		L	E	H
Icecream bean	Inga spp.	L	L	H	L		L	L		L	L		L	E	H
Ilama	Annona diversifolia	L	L	H	L		H	L		L	L		L	E	H
Indian almond	Terminalia catappa	L	H	H	H		L	H	H	H	L	L	H		E
Jaboticaba	Myrciaria cauliflora	L	L	L	L		L	L		L	L		L	E	H
Jakfruit	Artocarpus integrifolia	L	L	H			L	L	H	L	L	H	L		H
Jamaica cherry	Muntingia calabura	L	L	H	L		L	L	H	L	L	E	L	E	V
Jambolan	Syzygium cumini	L	L	L	L		L	L	L	L	E	E	E	E	H
Kumquat	Fortunella spp.	L	L	H	L			L	L	L	L	E	L	H	H
Kuini	Mangifera odorata	E	L	L	L		L	L		L	L		L	H	H
Langsat	Lansium domesticum	L	L	L	L		L	L	L	L	L	E	L	E	L
Lemon	Citrus limon	L	E	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	E	L	E	V
Lemon grass	Cymbopogon citratus	L	L	H	H		H	L		L	L		L	H	L
Lime	Citrus aurantifolia	L	L	L	L		L	L	L	L	L	E	L	E	H
Longan	Euphoria longan	L	L	L	L		L	L		L	L		L		V
Loquat	Eriobotrya japonica	L	L	L	L		L	L	H	E	L	E	L	H	L
Lychee	Litchi chinensis	L	L	L	L			L	L	L	L	E			H
Macadamia	Macadamia spp.	L	H	H	H		L	H	H	H	L		H	E	E
Madrone	Rheedia madruno	L	L	H	L		L	L		L	L		L	E	L
Malabar chestnut	Pachira spp.	H	H	V	H		H	H	H	H	L	L	L	H	H
Malay apple	Syzygium malaccense	E	L	L	L		L	L		L	L		L	E	H
Mamee	Mammea americana	L	L	H	L		L	L	L	E	L	E	L	L	H
Mamoncillo	Meliococcus bijugatus	L	L	H	L		L	L		L	L		L	E	H
Mandarin	Citrus reticulata	L	L	L	L		L	L	L	L	L	E	L	H	H
Mango	Mangifera indica	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	E	L	H	H
Mangosteen	Garcinia mangostana	L	L	H	L		L	L	L	E	L	E	L	E	L
Papaya	Carica papaya	L	L	L	L		L	L	L	L	L	E	L	H	V
Peanut	Arachis hypogaea	L	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	L	E	H		E
Pecan	Carya illinoensis	L	H	H	H	H	L	H	H	L	E	H	L	L	L
Pepper, hot	Capsicum annuum	L	L	H	L		L	L	H	L	L	E	L	H	V
Persimmon	Diospyros kaki	L	L	H	H	L	E	L	L	L		E	L		V
Pilinut	Canarium ovatum	H	H	H	H		L	H	H	H	L	E	H	E	E
Pineapple	Ananas comosus	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	E	L	E	L	L	H
Piñuela	Bromelia karatas	L	L	L	L		L	E		L	L		L	E	V
Pistachio	Pistacia vera	H	H	H	H	H	L	H	H	H			H	L	E
Pitaya	Hylocereus undatus	L	L	H	L		L	L		L	L		L	E	H
Common Name	Scientific Name	C¹	C²	F	I	M	N	P¹	P²	P³	R	S	T	V¹	V²
Pitanga	Eugenia uniflora	L	L	L	L		L	L		L	L		L	H	H
Plantain	Musa paradisiaca	L	L	L	L		L	L		L	L		H	L	H
Pomegranate	Punica granatum	L	L	H	L		L	L	H	L	E	E	L		H
Pondapple	Annona glabra	L	L	H	H		L	L		E	L		L	L	H
Pulasan	Nephelium mutabile	L	L	H	H		L	L		L	L		E	E	V
Pumelo	Citrus maxima	L	L	L	L		L	L	L	L	L	E	L	H	V
Purple mombin	Spondias purpurea	L	L	L	L		L	L	H	L	L	E	L	L	V
Purple passionfruit	Passiflora spp.	L	L	H	L		L	L		L	L		E		H
Rambai	Baccaurea motleyana	L	L		L			L		L			E	E	H
Rambutan	Nephelium lappaceum	L	L	H	H		L	L	L	L	L	E	E	E	V
Ramontchi	Flacourtia indica	L	L	H	L		L	L	L	E	L	E	E	H	H
Rice, brown	Oryza spp.	L	H	L	L	H	H	H	L	H	L	E	H	E	E
Rice, white	Oryza spp.	L	H	L	L	L	L	L	L	H	L	E	L	E	E
Roseapple	Syzygium jambos	L	L	H	L		L	L		L	L		L	L	H
Sago palm	Metroxylon spp.	L	H	L	L		E	L	L	L	E	E	E	E	E
Salak	Salacca edulis	L	L		H			L		E			L	E	L
Santol	Sandoricum koetjape	L	L	H	L		L	L	H	E	L	E	L	E	H
Sapodilla	Manilkara zapote	L	L	H	L		L	L	L	E	L	E	E	L	H
Shahtoot	Morus alba	L	L	L	H		L	L	L	L	L	L	L	E	L
Sweet leaf	Sauropus androgynus	L	L		H		H	H	H	L	H	E	L	V	V
Seagrape	Coccoloba spp.	L	L	H	L		L	L		L	L		L	E	H
Soursop	Annona muricata	L	L	H	L		L	L	H	L	L	E	L	E	H
Soybean	Glycine max	L	L	H	H		L	H		H	H	E	H	H	H
Starapple	Chrysophyllum cainito	L	L	H	L		L	L	L	L	L	E	E	E	H
Sugarapple	Annona squamosa	L	L	H	L		L	L	H	L	L	E	L	E	H
Sugarpalm	Arenga pinnata	L	E	L	L		E	E	E	E	E	E	E
Kangkong	Ipomea aquatica	L	L	H	H		L	L	L	L	L		L	V	H
Orange	Citrus sinensis	L	L	L	L		L	L	L	L	L	E	L	L	H
Sweet potato	Ipomea batatas	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	E	L	V	H
Tahiti chestnut	Inocarpus edulis		L	H						L
Tamarind	Tamarindus indica	L	L	H	H		L	H	H	L	L	L	H	E	L
Tangelo	C. reticulata x C. maxima or C. x paradisi	L	L	E	L		E	L	L	E	L	E	L	L	H
Tangerine	Citrus reticulata	L	L	L	L		E	L	L	L	L	E	L	L	H
Taro	Colocasia esculenta	L	E	L	L		L	L	H	L	L	E	L	L	H
Tomato	Lycopersicon esculentum	L	E	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	E	L	H	H
Wampi	Clausena lansium	L	L	L	E		H	L	H	L	L	E	L	E	V
Waterapple	Eugenia aquea	L	L	L	L		L	L		L	L		E	E	H
Water chestnut	Trapa natans	E	L	L	L	L	L	L	H	L	H	E	H	E	L
White sapote	Casimiroa edulis	L	L	H	L		L	L		L	L		L	E	H
Yellow mombin	Spondias mombin	L	L	H	H		L	L		L	L		L	L	H
Common Name	Scientific Name	C¹	C²	F	I	M	N	P¹	P²	P³	R	S	T	V¹	V²

C¹ - Calcium, C² - Calories, F - Fiber, I - Iron, M - Magnesium, N - Niacin, P¹ - Phophorus, P² - Potassium, P³ - Protein, R - Riboflavin, S - Sodium, T - Thiamin, V¹ - Vitamin A, V² - Vitamin C.

Extract from pamphlet 'Composition And Facts About Foods', by Jim Duke. Authorities for many of these can be found in Duke and Terrell, 1974, Crop Diversification Matrix.

Presented to RFCA Inc. Newsletter by
Andreas Flach, N.E.C. Secretary

DATE: November 1994

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