Nutritional Qualities of Different Commercial Raspberries Consumed in Morocco

Abstract

The dietary habits of the Moroccan population often involve low consumption of fruits andvegetables, coupled with a high intake of fats and sugars, posing a potential risk of diseases suchas obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. However, red and black raspberries present ahealthy and nutritious alternative for Moroccan consumers. This research focuses on theevaluation of the nutritional properties of extracts from seven samples of red and black raspberriescommonly consumed in Morocco. Minerals (magnesium, calcium, chloride, phosphorus),glucose, total polyphenols content (TPC), and total flavonoids content (TFC) were determinedusing spectrophotometric method. Sucrose and fructose contents were determined by a digitalrefractometer. The results showed variable concentrations of magnesium, calcium, chloride, andphosphorus in the different raspberry samples. The values ranged from 13.40 to 35.50 mg/100g,52.20 to 98.20 mg/100g, 19 to 33.80 mg/100g, and 27.60 to 37.28 mg/l00g for Mg, Ca, Cl, and P,respectively. The levels of Glucose, Sucrose, and Fructose were between 0.70 to 2.49 g/100g, 0.70to 1.20 g/100g, and 0.80 to 2.70 g/100g, respectively. TPC, and TFC were between 202 to 301 mggallic acid equivalents (GAE) per 100g, and 37 to 268 mg Quercetin equivalents (QE) per 100g,respectively. Polyphenol and flavonoid levels were higher in the black raspberry samples than inthe red raspberry samples. The results obtained provide adequate data for the classification ofdifferent raspberry samples based on their nutritional qualities and provide consumers with aninformed choice.