Abstract
The study aimed at determining the minor and major elements present in seeds of Moringa ovalifolia and Moringa oleifera. The seeds were air-dried after collection, then ground to a fine powder and digested with acids in a microwave system prior to analysis by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The concentration of different elements in M. ovalifolia seeds such as Ca, K, Fe, Ni, Cu, Mn, Co and Cd varied (P 0.05) in the concentrations of elements such Mg, Li, Ba, Si, Al, Na and Zn was observed between sites. Potasium (K) was found to be present in highest amounts at all sites with average concentration of 7938 mg/kg while Li (10.78 mg/kg) had the lowest concentration. This study showed that the content of some metals in M. ovalifolia seeds varied depending on geographical sites. Both M. ovalifolia and M. oleifera seeds are a good source of important minerals and need to be explored further for use as supplements and ready source of dietary minerals in animal and human food. Key words: Elemental analysis, Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy, macronutrients,
Highlights
IntroductionMoringa seeds have a number of benefits
Comparison of metal content in M. ovalifolia and M. oleifera seeds from different sites
This study showed that some metal content of M
Summary
Moringa seeds have a number of benefits They contain iron and amino acids in addition to antiinflammatory and antiseptic properties (Padayachee and Bijnath, 2012). Some of the trace elements, which include iron, manganese, zinc and copper, are essential micronutrients with a variety of biochemical functions in all living organisms (Hicsonmez et al, 2012). Metal ions, including iron, zinc and copper, are required for catalytic and structural properties of many proteins and are essential for growth and development of all organisms. The aim of the study was to compare the mineral content present in M. ovalifolia and M. oleifera seeds. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no such comparative study of the two species has been done before and the elemental composition of M. ovalifolia seeds is yet to be reported
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