White Caya (Gynandropsis gynandra) is a leafy vegetable mainly consumed in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. The fons in Benin name it « Akaya », the Adja « Sabo », the Holli « Efo Oko », the Waama « Garsia », the Gourmantche « Foubai » and the scientists « Gynandropsis gynandra ». Our ancestors considered the plant as so important that the name Akaya from Benin is still used in the West Indies and Surinam to designate it. In the region of Dogbo (Couffo) in South Benin, it is the most expensive and most prized of the leafy vegetables. It is a very nutritious plant (vitamins A, E, C, iron, zinc, etc.) and with multiple virtues that is consumed in sauce but also used to treat several diseases including various inflammations, malaria, yellow fever, skin diseases, etc. Some people call it African cabbage because it is related to cabbage and contains sulfur compounds (glucosinolates) that give cabbage its strong odor, pungent flavor and virtues.
A research program on the plant was conducted from 2015 to 2019 by a consortium of researchers from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, the University of Abomey-Calavi, the World Vegetable Center, the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC) and the Kenyan Resource Center for Indigenous Knowledge. The objective was to study genetic diversity within the species with the long-term goal of developing varieties with high nutritional value and high yield.
The initial results of this work have revealed fundamental differences between the Akaya populations present in West Africa, East Africa and Asia. West African and Asian accessions generally have early flowering dwarf plants, whereas East African accessions tend to have giant, broad-leaved, late flowering plants. In addition, the latter have a high content of carotenoids (precursors of vitamin A), while those in Asia and West Africa tend to have relatively high vitamin E content.
An analysis of secondary metabolites present in the leaves confirmed differences between the populations of these 3 regions in terms of biochemical compounds. The presence of flavonoids, glucosinolates, hydroxycinnamic acids, terpenoids and other phenolic compounds confirms the anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties attributed to the plant.
Various experiments have also made it possible to identify agronomic practices that increase leaf yield, improve seed conservation and germination, and generate hybrid populations that present interesting characteristics for producers.
Work is also underway on the plant genome and the development of molecular markers to accelerate the varietal creation process.
So, interested in tasting Akaya, this delicious vegetable? Take a tour of GBioS/FSA farm or in Dogbo markets and surrounding villages where the women will be happy to tell you more about the multiple virtues of this king vegetable among the Adja people.