Carbohydrates, proteins, fats and other essential components of food from native trees in West Africa

Native tree foods contribute to food and nutrition security, health and income generation in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the specific contribution of native tree foods to nutrition is poorly documented in science and often not acknowledged in poverty reduction strategies. This review gives an overview on the content of carbohydrates, proteins, fat, fibers, ash and dry matter of 98 native food tree species from sub-Saharan Africa. Data were grouped according to the food providing organ (seeds, fruits and leaves). In general, seeds had high content of fat, protein and dry matter; while leaves had high content of protein and ash. There was no significant difference between the three organs on the content of fibers and carbohydrate. Some tree foods species were good sources to provide carbohydrates, proteins, fat, fibers, ash and dry matter.