Morphological and Nutritional Characterization of Wild Edible Blackberries (Rubus spp.) from Sinaloa, Mexico

Abstract

Wild blackberries (Rubus) are fruits that grow in inaccessible high mountain areas, which has made it difficult to study their chemical and nutritional composition. The objective of this research was to evaluate the nutritional composition and the macro-and micro-nutrient profile of wild species of fruits of the Rubus genus collected in Sinaloa, Mexico. Botanical samples of wild Rubus were identified and deposited in the Herbarium of the Institute of Biology of the UNAM. Subsequently, the chemical composition the profile of carbohydrates, lipids and minerals were evaluated. Wild Rubus species were identified as R. liebmannii, R. coriifolius and R. palmeri. In addition, it was found that R. liebmannii is the first time it has been recorded for the state of Sinaloa. Likewise, the results show that carbohydrates represent the largest proportion of the macro-components (85 %, glucose and fructose); they have a high content of fatty acids (such as linolenic acid) and are rich sources of minerals (such as K, Ca and Mg). The results of this research could be relevant to be used in the genetic improvement of commercial species that currently exist in the market.