India is the second largest producer of cabbage in the world (9.039 million tonnes) and cabbage produces significantly large amounts of biomass of which only the spherical cluster of immature leaves called ‘head’ are normally eaten and the rest is discarded as crop residue. Though large number of cultivars varying in yields due to variation in cultivars, soils, climatic conditions and cultivation practices are grown across the country, information on quantity of unmarketable crop residue and its nutritional value is scanty. The present investigation revealed that, under Bengaluru conditions, cabbage cv.Unnathi produced 54.06±0.13 t/ha biomass of which 27.90% was unmarketable residue (mainly outer leaves). These residual leaves contained 16.70±0.13% dry matter, which had varying amounts of different nutrients like carbohydrates (22.60±0.02%), proteins (10.07±0.05%), crude fat (3.48±0.02%), crude fiber (8.91±0.01%) and phytochemicals like total carotenoids (64.33±0.11μ/100g), vitamin C (53.51±0.09 mg/100g) and antioxidants (396.60±0.99mg AEAC/100g). Development of appropriate technologies for its conversion into value added products for human and animal nutrition can bring additional revenue to the farmers and ensure health benefits to its consumers.
Cabbage, biomass, residue, proximate composition, nutritive values, functional foods
