Macro and Micro Nutrient Composition of Some Indigenous Green Leafy Vegetables in South-East Zone Nigeria

Abstract

There are several green leafy vegetables already implicated in possessing high nutritional values. There is still the need to add to the growing list of these beneficial plants in order to create more varieties in the food menu of the Nigeria populace. This study examined the proximate, vitamins and mineral composition of some indigenous green leafy vegetables (Psychotria sp, Cnidoscolus aconitifolius and Telfairia occidentalis). Ten (10) kg each of the Green Leafy Vegetables (GLV) was plucked, sorted, cleaned by rinsing with deionized water and solar dried. The dried samples were pulverized and package in an air-tight-polytthene bags. The result showed that proximate composition of the GLVs showed moisture content of raw and dried samples (Psychotria sp had 62.30 and 12.87%, C.aconitifolius 82.16 and 12.87% and T. occidentalis 86.28 and 9.82%). Crude protein was high in raw and dried samples. It ranges from 11.75-27.32% in Psychotria sp, 4.83-24.13% in C. aconitifolius and 5.26-35.06% for T.occidentalis. T. occidentalis had the highest ash and crude fibre (10.07 and 5.20%), followed by C.aconitifolius (8.10 and 4.73%). These GLVs are good sources of pro-vitamin A, B 2 , C and E. Psychotria sp had the highest pro-vitamin A and E (5.31-6.64 mg and 3.65-4.35 mg/100 g) while C.aconitifolius (437.7 and 291.17 mg) and T.occidentalis (420.86 and 277.80 mg/100 g) had the highest vitamins C content. These GLVs also had appreciable quantity of minerals (K, 46.43-423 mg; Na, 1.02-19.96 mg; P, 58.34-566.75 mg; Ca, 1.76-8.76 mg; Mg, 1.20-6.02 mg and Fe 1.77-11.80 mg/100 g). This study therefore showed that Psychotria sp and Cnidoscolus aconitifolius are good sources of macro and micro nutrients.