Nutrient composition of some edible wild plants with high nutritional value in Eastern Türkiye

The demand for edible wild plants for their health and high nutritional content has increased dramatically worldwide. Although some wild plant species are eaten as vegetables, information on their nutritional content is limited. This study provides interesting, useful data (moisture, dry matter, ash, organic matter, protein, and mineral content) on the nutritional value of ten wild plant species traditionally consumed in the eastern Anatolia region of Türkiye. These species are Arum rupicola var. virescens, Allium vineale, Rumex crispus, Satureja hortensis, Scorzonera mollis subsp. szowitzii, Eremurus spectabilis, Urtica dioica, Gundelia glabra, Rheum ribes, and Ferula orientalis, According to the results obtained; dry matter ratio varied between 6.03–10.77%, organic matter ratio varied between 80.63–93.65%, protein ratio varied between 9.94–35.71%, P content varied between 112.38–806.54 mg/100 g, K content varied between 1597.46–7980.06 mg/100 g, Mg content varied between 214.64–704.84 mg/100 g, Ca content varied between 142.6.2–1157.53 mg/100 g and Fe content varied between 14.20–460.32 mg/100 g. Urtica dioica gave the best results in terms of protein, P, Mg, Ca, Na, and Cu, while Scorzonera mollis subsp. szowitzii gave the best results in terms of Mn and Cu. These new findings suggest that the obtained plants can be considered a valuable source of nutrients in human nutrition and will allow their inclusion in food nutrient databases.