Abstract

Leafy vegetables are generally neglected by consumers because of their rural lifestyle and low social status. As a result, they are often considered a "food of the poor. The general objective of our study is to carry out a nutritional and nutritional characterization of the vegetable Basella alba L. A cross-sectional survey of the consumption of B. alba L. leaves was carried out in the 9 districts of Brazzaville and concerned 150 households, as well as physicochemical analyzes carried out in the laboratory. The results show that the average age of respondents is 41.18 ± 15.36 years. The female sex is more represented with 83.3%. Many consumers are single (38.7%). Respondents are sourcing from the market (99.3%) per purchase (98.0%). The leaves of B. alba L are eaten cooked 99.3%. Its frequency of consumption is 1 time in the week 46%. 71.3% of those surveyed consume them all seasons. Laboratory results give the following morphological characteristics and nutritive values: leaf length 10.75 ± 2.10 cm, leaf width 9.5 ± 2.54 cm, petiole length 4 ± 0.70 cm, leaf water (89.03 g/100 g of fresh material); protein content (11.15 g / 100 g of dry matter); carbohydrate content 68.98 g/100 g of dry matter. The ashes have a content of 15.05 g/100 g of dry matter. Energy 363.9 kcal (or 1521.102 kJ). The leaves of B. alba L. have a good nutritional value, take into account the content of proteins and minerals and can contribute to the improvement of the nutritional state of the populations.

Key words: Leaf vegetable, consumer survey, nutritional value, Brazzaville.