Open AccessNutraceutical qualities of Cucurbita, Vernonia amygdalina Del and Ocimum gratissimum leaves vis-à-vis- vitamins A and C: a source of health benefits
Author(s) -
E Adewole,
O.T. Ogunmodede,
O.A. Peters,
O. Oludoro,
O.I. Awonyemi
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
food research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.218
H-Index - 7
ISSN - 2550-2166
DOI - 10.26656/fr.2017.6(2).514
Subject(s) - vernonia amygdalina , ocimum gratissimum , food science , ocimum , vitamin , traditional medicine , biology , botany , medicine , endocrinology
The inadequate information on the nutritional values associated with the consumption ofvegetables by the people in our communities demands from the researchers to evaluate thebenefits and recommend the highly nutritious vegetables to the host communities. Thestudy was aimed at quantifying the vitamins A and C contents of the three selectedindigenous vegetables widely consumed in Akure, Nigeria. Three vegetables wereobtained from a local market in Akure, the leaves were processed into powdered form bydrying and blending using laboratory scale grinder (Sumeet CM/L 2128945) and siftedthrough 300 μm sieve. Vitamin C and A were determined according to the recommendedprocedure. The vitamin A contents were in the range (8.03±0.10 to 21.55±0.04 mg/100 g)with the composite being the highest. The vitamin C contents were recorded in thedescending order of composite (10 g of mixture of powdered leaves), Cucurbita, Vernoniaamygdalina Del and Ocimum gratissimum. It was interesting to uncover that thecomposite formulation was highly rich in vitamins A and C and this mixture of vegetablesfor consumption should be encouraged.