Determination of mineral constituents, phytochemicals and antioxidant qualities ofcleome gynandra, compared tobrassica oleracea and beta vulgaris

Abstract

The study compared mineral, chemical and antioxidant qualities of Cleome gynandra, a wild leafy vegetable, with two widely consumed commercial vegetables, Brassica oleracea and Beta vulgaris. Mineral nutrients were quantified with inductively coupled plasmamassspectrometry(ICP-MS),phenoliccompoundsusingultra-highperformance liquid chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (UHPLC-MS) and β-carotene and vitamin C using high performance liquid chromatography with a photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA). The antioxidant potential was evaluated using 2,2–diphenyl−1–picrylhydrazyl(DPPH)andoxygenradicalabsorbancecapacity(ORAC) assays. Cleome gynandra had highest concentrations of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, ascorbic acid, total phenolics, and flavonoids; whereas sodium, magnesium, manganese, copper and β-carotene were higher for B. vulgaris. The significantlyhigherantioxidantactivity(P≤0.05)exhibitedbyC.gynandraincomparison to the two commercial vegetables may be due to its significantly high levels of vitamin C and phenolic acids. These findings on the mineral, chemical and antioxidant properties of C. gynandra provide compelling scientific evidence of its potential in adding diversity tothedietandcontributingtowardthedailynutritionalrequirementsofmillionsofpeople for food and nutritional security.