Näringsvärden i vilda svenska växter : analyser och fysiologiska studier av olika komponenter med tonvikt på kolhydrater, protein och vitamin C

Sammanfattning: In order to investigate the possibility of using wild plants as food in emergency situations and to provide results for further physiological studies, the content and seasonal variations of different nutritive components were investigated in 80 wild Swedish species, including 9 lichens. The plants were analysed for: glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose, inulin, starch, crude protein, ascorbic acid, minerals, ash and amino acids. The carbohydrates were analysed with very specific enzymatic methods, which will be very suitable for further use in plant physiology. Storage organs had high carbohydrate contents. Fructosan storing organs from the family Asteraceae had the highest values, but the content in starch storing rhizomes from Typha latifolia were almost the same. Green plant parts had favourable amino acid compositions, fairly high starch levels, but no sucrose. Glucose and fructose dominated in meristematic tissues and in berries and fruits, but the berries and fruits showed considerably variations in carbohydrate composition. The lichens contained polysaccharides with a structure similar to starch. Young leaves and winter green plants were very rich in ascorbic acid, indicating the role of ascorbic acid in coldhardiness of plants. The results demonstrated the necessity of uniform investigations and appropriate methods, especially when analysing plant material. The investigated plants are potentially useful as food, and can supply enough carbohydrates for a correct physiological fat combustion in man during a trying survival march.