Evaluation of Nutritional and Phytochemical Compositions of Two bitter Leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) Accessions in Nigeria
- January 9, 2022
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: Agriculture, IJRIAS
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science (IJRIAS) | Volume VI, Issue XII, December 2021 | ISSN 2454–6194
Okolie, Henry, Ndukwe, Okorie, Obidiebube, Eucharia, Obasi, Chiamaka, Enwerem, Juliet
Department of Crop Science and Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Nigeria
Abstract: A comparative analysis was done at the Food Profiling Biotechnology Laboratory, National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike, Umuahia to investigate the proximate, minerals, vitamins and phytochemical compositions of Upland and Riverine accessions of bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina). Riverine accession contained more Ash (9.45mg/100g) while Upland accession contained more crude fiber (4.17%),fat (2.44%),carbohydrate(40.54mg/100mg)and energy value (288k/cal).The presence of more ash in Riverine bitter leaf is a confirmation of the presence of more mineral elements. sodium (180.36mg/100g), magnesium(162.54mg/100g), phosphorus(27.8mg/100g), potassium(949.35mg/100mg), iron(1.13 mg/100g) and zinc (0.48 mg/100g). This makes it a very good source of minerals especially as it can be taken raw. The results showed that Riverine accession contained more Vitamin B1 (0.16 mg/100g) and Vitamin E (0.32 mg/100g). While the upland accession contained more of Vitamin B2 (0.22 mg/100g) and VitaminB3 (0.15 mg/100mg). Upland accession contained more Tannins (0.75%), Phytate (124.13 mg/100g), Steriods (0.002%) and Oxalate (1.48 mg/100g),Cyanogenic glycosides (44.77 mg/100g), Anthraquinone (0.06%) than Riverine Upland accession which contained more Saponin (0.21%). Total Phenols, Flavonoids and Alkaloids were not different. Correlation analysis between phytochemical and proximate components showed that the phytochemical components correlated positively at 0.01 level of significance among themselves and with the proximate components except for saponin, anthraquinone and steroids.
Keywords: Vernonia amygdalina; Phytochemicals; Proximate, accession, correlation.
I. INTRODUCTION
Vernonia amygdalina is a perennial shrub from Asteraceae family and also commonly called ‘Bitter Leaf’ because of the bitter taste of its leaves. Not only called bitter leaf, this plant also has a lot of other local names in different languages of the different regions of the Nigeria such as; ‘Ewuro’ in Yoruba, ‘Etidot’ in Ibibio, ‘Onugbu’ in Igbo, ‘Ityuna’ in Tiv, ‘Ilo’ in Igala, ‘Oriwo’ in Edo, ‘Chusar-doki’ in Hausa. It is the most cultivated and prominent species of the genus Vernonia that is made up of about 1,000 species of shrub [Toyang and Verpoorte, 2013; Egharevba et al., 2014]. The leaves are green in coloration with a characteristic odor and bitter taste [Akpaso et. al., 2011].
