Effects of sun and shade drying on nutrient and antinutrient content of some green leafy vegetables consumed in Uyo communities, Akwa Ibom State

Abstract

This work determined the effect of sun and shade drying on the nutrient, antinutrient and food toxicant composition of atama – Heinsia crinata, editan - Lasianthore Africana and water – leaf – Talinum tringulare vegetables. Two and a half kilogram of these green leafy vegetable were purchased from Uyo market, picked from the stalks and divided into three equal portions for two treatments (sun and shade drying) while one portion served as the control (no treatment). At the end of the treatment, the dry vegetables were pulverized into flours and kept in cool dry place until used for various analysis. The proximate, the individual minerals, vitamins, anti- nutrients and food toxicants were determined using standard assay techniques. Sun and shade drying reduced the moisture and increased dry matter of the vegetable when compared with the controls. Shade drying increased iron, iodine, copper, zinc, vitamin A (RE) and folate of the vegetables more than sun drying. Sun drying reduced anti- nutrients and food toxicants more than shade drying. Sun and shade drying are good processing techniques to preserve and supply macro and micro- nutrient rich foods all years round. Keywords: Green vegetables, domestic processing, nutrient density Journal of Biomedical Investigation Vol. 3 (1) 2005: pp. 1-5