Nutritional and Phytochemical Compositions of the Leaves of Mucuna Poggei

Abstract

The chemical nutrient composition and the phytochemical content of the leaves of Mucuna poggei, an underutilized leafy vegetable were analyzed using standard methods. The result of the proximate compositions analysis showed that the leaves contained moisture (8.25%), crude fibre (30.55%), crude fat (9.45%), ash (7.78%), crude protein (32.38%) and carbohydrate (11.55%). Results of the mineral analysis showed that it contains the following essential minerals: Sodium (68.10mg/100g), potassium (43.21mg/100g), calcium (71.71mg/100g), iron (10.56mg/100g), manganese (0.65mg/100g), copper (0.47mg/100g), magnesium (56.05mg/100g), zinc (0.25mg/100g), phosphorus (5.72mg/100g), lead (0.01mg/100g), cobalt (nil) and cadmium (nil). The high protein and fibre contents as well as other proximate components are a desirable attribute. The concentration of iron shows that Mucuna poggei leaves could help in boosting of blood level in anaemic conditions. The phytochemical screening of the leaves revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, carbohydrates, terpenoids, balsams and triterpenoids. These results rank the leaves of Mucuna poggei among the best in terms of essential nutrients composition when compared with those of other edible leaves in literature.