Abstract

The objective of this study was to characterise some of the nutritional values of the two bamboo species grown and consumed in western parts of Ethiopia. The bamboo shoots of each the two species were collected from each of the three sites and analyzed for their nutritional and mineral composition. The average moisture content of the bamboo shoots was more than 90% for both species but the fat content as determined on dry weight basis indicated a significant variation ranging from 0.6 to 2.2% for Oxytenanthera abyssinica and from 0.6 to 1.5% forArundinaria alpina. Highland bamboo (A. alpina) shoots characterized with high nitrogen content (5.40%) implying that they may have high content of protein, but the lowland bamboo (O. abyssinica) was low in nitrogen content (3.10%). The average ash contents of the highland bamboo shoots collected from Tekur Incheny, Enjibara and Masha site were 14.20, 15.50 and 17.20%, respectively. The average nutrient elements in the shoots of O. abyssinica were in the order of K>N>P>Ca>Mg, whereas in A. alpina bamboo shoots observed to have slight variation in the arrangement of these elements with the order of K>N>P> Mg > Ca.

Key words: Arundinaria alpina, Oxytenanthera abyssinica, bamboo shoots, mineral elements, nutrients.