Dietary fibre content in ethnic and unconventional vegetables and fruits growing in Bangladesh

Dietary fibre is known to provide health benefit and protect against degenerative chronic diseases. Thus, the present study reports the total dietary fibre (TDF) content of sixty-nine selected ethnic and unconventional vegetables and fruits growing in Bangladesh. The samples were collected from different locations of Bangladesh and mixed together to ensure sample representativeness. Dietary fibre assay kit according to the AOAC method was utilized for the analysis of TDF in selected vegetables and fruits. In the ethnic varieties, the TDF content ranged from 1.02 ±0.16 to 7.16 ±0.16 g for leafy (LV), 0.18 ±0.01 to 6.71 ±0.49 g for non-leafy vegetables (NLV) and 1.21 ±0.12 to 5.29 ±0.20 g for fruits per 100 g edible portion (EP). In the unconventional items, it arrayed from 3.08 ±0.34 g to 7.75 ±0.13 g for LV and 1.02 ±0.06 to 8.82 ±0.40 g for NLV per 100 g EP. Among the analysed samples, the highest and lowest content of TDF was found in Orohordal and Mairabokong, respectively. The unconventional vegetables contained much higher content of TDF than the ethnics and the commonly consumed similar varieties. Data on TDF content in underutilized vegetables and fruits of Bangladesh is sparse. Thus, the finding of this study would fill up the data gap in the existing food composition table of Bangladesh and also would aware the people to take vegetables and fruits rich in fibres.