CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ENERGETIC VALUES OF SELECTED VEGETABLE SPECIES IN LITHUANIAN SUPERMARKETS

Abstract

Fifty different vegetables included in daily schedule of diet and sold in the biggest supermarkets of Lithuania were analyzed for their nutritional values using standard techniques. In proximate analysis ash, fibre, proteins, fats and moisture were assayed and energetic values were calculated. The vegetable species showed variable results in proximate analysis, but all of investigated vegetables contributed to nutrition values. Moisture content was high ranging from 66.10% in garlic to 96.32% in celery. Crude protein, crude fibre, crude fats and ash were in range from 0.03 to 7.41%, 0.06 to 1.86%, 0.03 to 0.77% and 2.89 to 17.31% respectively. The results showed that almost all vegetables contain appreciable amount of essential nutrients.