Phenolic acid and amino acid composition of Ethiopian Chaya (Cnidoscolus chayamansa)

Abstract

Chaya is one of the underutilized crops in Ethiopia and may become a key solution to alleviate both food and nutrition insecurity in developing countries. The objective of this study was to investigate the phenolic acid and amino acid composition of chaya (Cnidoscolus chayamansa) leaf and stem samples grown in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. HPLC with a reverse-phase column was used for the determination of individual phenolic acid and amino acid compositions of all chaya samples. Each group of phenolic acid was used for phenolic acid quantification. Deep green, light green, and stem samples were analyzed for phenolic acid and amino acid profiles. The findings from this study show that chaya contains high amounts of phenolic acids and amino acid compositions. The deep green chaya leaf contained the highest amino acids and the lowest composition was found in the chaya stem. High concentration of essential amino acids such as leucine, lysine, and phenylalanine is found in chaya leaf, whereas leucine, lysine, and cysteine essential amino acids are dominant in chaya steam. Therefore, this study could be very significant for future use of chaya leaf as a rich source of amino acids and essential antioxidants to improve mainly the food, nutrition, and health status of rural peoples in Ethiopia. This research article focuses only on the phenolic and amino acid content and so the researchers recommend for others to do so on other untouched parameters like proximate compositions, mineral contents, and anti-nutritional contents of both chaya leaves and stems.