COMPARATIVE NUTRITIONAL PROFILING OF CYDONIA OBLONGA LEAVES AND FRUITS IN KHANOZAI AREA, BALOCHSITAN

Abstract

For domestic consumption, the quince (Cydonia oblonga) is grown throughout Pakistan's temperate regions, particularly the upland areas of Balochistan. Despite its importance, the province has notably lacked nutritional composition profile for quince. This study investigates the mineral and proximate compositions of quince fruit and leaves. Matured quince fruits and leaves were systematically collected from Khanozai (Kn) and Churmian (Ch) area in the Pishin district of Balochistan. Leaf sampling was conducted in July 15, 2021, where leaves from twelve shoots per tree and four leaves per shoot were collected from six randomly selected quince trees. While, 4-8 fresh yellow Cydonia oblonga fruits per tree were collected In October 2021 and analyzed for proximate and nutrient analysis. The results revealed disparities in mineral concentrations, with Churmian area exhibiting higher levels of Nitrogen (0.077%), Potassium (1.66%), Iron (872.32 mg kg-1 ), and Zinc (30.423 mg kg-1 ) compared to Khanozai. However, Manganese was not detected in the fruits from either location. The analysis of Cydonia oblonga leaves displayed statistically significant differences in Potassium, Sodium, Copper, Iron, Zinc, and Manganese content, while Nitrogen and Phosphorus showed no significant variation. Proximate analysis of both fruit and leaves exhibited statistically significant differences across locations, with Khanozai recording the highest ash content in both fruit (2.62%) and leaves (9.59%), whereas Churmian area showcased the maximum protein content in the fruit (0.47%). Interestingly, crude fiber showed non-significant differences. This exploration provides fundamental insights into the Proximate and nutritional characteristics of quince fruit and leaves cultivated in Khanozai and Churmian, offering a crucial foundation for further research in this field.