Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The "wastage" or "refuse" percentage of a food refers to the non-edible portion (such as tough stems, thick skins, outer leaves, stalks, and seeds) that is discarded during preparation per 100g of purchased raw food.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us evaluate the non-edible refuse percentage for each vegetable from standard Food Composition Tables:
1. Tomatoes (F): Extremely low wastage (\(\approx 0-3\%\)) as almost the entire fruit (skin, pulp, seeds) is edible. This is the lowest wastage vegetable in the list.
2. Bottle gourd (D): Low wastage (\(\approx 10-15\%\)) since only the thin outer skin and fibrous stem-ends are discarded.
3. Cucumber (B): Low-to-moderate wastage (\(\approx 15-20\%\)) representing the peelings and ends.
4. Cauliflower (C): High wastage (\(\approx 30-40\%\)) as the large outer green leaves and central fibrous core/stalk are discarded.
5. Fenugreek leaves (E): High wastage (\(\approx 35-40\%\)) as only the leaves and tender tips are consumed, discarding the tough stems.
6. Amaranth leaves (A): Very high wastage (\(\approx 40-45\%\)) because a substantial portion of the woody stems and roots must be discarded.
Arranging from lowest to highest wastage yields:
\[ \text{Tomatoes (F)} < \text{Bottle gourd (D)} < \text{Cucumber (B)} < \text{Cauliflower (C)} < \text{Fenugreek (E)} < \text{Amaranth (A)} \]
This sequence matches the order (F), (D), (B), (C), (E), (A).
Step 3: Final Answer
The correct option is (D).