MOROCCAN STRAWBERRY TREE (Arbutus Unedo L.) LEAVES: COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE AND MINERAL COMPOSITION

Zakaria Ait  lhaj; Farida Ait  lhaj; Khalid  Taghzouti; Younes  Abbas; Fatima  Gaboun; Ghizlane  Diria; Aouatif  Benali; Rabha  Abdelwahd; Najat  Hakam; Rahma  Bchitou; Khadija  Bakhy

doi:10.18006/2021.9(6).734.744

Authors

Zakaria Ait lhaj National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), BP 6356, Rabat, Morocco
Farida Ait lhaj Faculty of Sciences, Nanostructures Laboratory, Process Engineering and Environment, center of materials science, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco.
Khalid Taghzouti Team of Physiology and Physiopathology, Faculty of Sciences, Research Center in Genomics of Human Pathologies, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco
Younes Abbas Polydisciplinary Faculty, Sultan Moulay Slimane University, BéniMellal, Morocco
Fatima Gaboun National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), BP 6356, Rabat, Morocco
Ghizlane Diria National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), BP 6356, Rabat, Morocco
Aouatif Benali National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), BP 6356, Rabat, Morocco
Rabha Abdelwahd National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), BP 6356, Rabat, Morocco
Najat Hakam Center of Horticultural training. 1051, Crescent Pierre-Bédard, Laval (Quebec) H7E 1y8, Canada.
Rahma Bchitou Faculty of Sciences, Nanostructures Laboratory, Process Engineering and Environment, center of materials science, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco.
Khadija Bakhy National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), BP 6356, Rabat, Morocco

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18006/2021.9(6).734.744

Keywords:

Strawberry, Chemical composition, Livestock feed, Morocco, Variability

Abstract

Strawberry tree (Arbutus Unedo L.) is one of the evergreen trees that grow spontaneously in Moroccan forests. This tall shrub is traditionally used in grazing zones of some Moroccan areas, especially during the dry season, but its value in Morocco has still been underestimated. In this paper, the nutritional composition of A. unedo leaves sample collected from seven Moroccan regions has been assessed. For this, the leaves were dried, crushed, and chemically analyzed for their proximate composition, energetic value, total and reducing sugar, and mineral composition. Results of this study suggested that samples from BniAarouse (BA) region showed the highest contents of essential nutrients such as proteins, dietary fiber, ashes, and fat with average values of 7.53, 17.89, 4.14, and 8.05 g/ 100 g of dry weight, respectively, which positively influences its consumption by small ruminants. Cluster analysis based on surveyed parameters separated the strawberries individuals into four distinct groups, providing a high variability among and within studied locations. That could be related to the diversity of the edaphoclimatic conditions between regions and to the genetic effect. The results of the present study highlighted the potential use of leaves as livestock feed, with intermediate quality, and promotes their optimal cultivation and subsequent domestication in Morocco.