Iheanacho Igboecheonwu; Zaharadeen Nasiru Garba; Abdulmumin Abdulkadir Nuh
Abstract
This study investigated the proximate and mineral compositions of J. tanjorensis and T. occidentalis. Proximate analysis was done according to the AOAC methods; Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy ...
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This study investigated the proximate and mineral compositions of J. tanjorensis and T. occidentalis. Proximate analysis was done according to the AOAC methods; Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) was used to determine the mineral content of Ca, Cu, Co, Fe, Mg, and Zn, K, P, and Na. The result shows that J. tanjorensis leaves had higher carbohydrate (66.38 %), crude fibre (16.93 %), and protein (10.5 %), while T. occidentalis had a higher percentage of moisture (11.60 %), ash (18.90 %), and crude fats (15.95 %) content in leaves. Mineral compositions analyses showed that J. tanjorensis had higher concentrations (in mg/kg) of Mg (172.60), Co (60.42), K (374.00), Na (141.00), and Zn (19.25), while T. occidentalis had higher concentration (in mg/kg) of Fe (77.54), Ca (334.50), P (651.18), and Cu (334.50). The concentrations of all the essential metals were below the permissible limit except for Co when compared with WHO/FAO standards in vegetables. For it was mentioned that J. tanjorensisis was better than T. occidentalis as the name implies ‘kafiugu’ by the Hausa tribe (which means the one better than ugu, T. occidentalis is called ‘ugu’ by the Igbo tribe), but based on the proximate and mineral contents analysed, there was no statistically difference between J. tanjorensis and T. occidentalis. Therefore, it is suggested that both J. tanjorensis and T. occidentalis leaves can serve as a good source of nutraceuticals for they both nutritious.
