EVALUATION OF PRESERVATION POTENTIAL OF THREE SELECTED PLANT' LEAVES ON CORN JELL-O SHELF-LIFE IN SOUTHWEST, NIGERIA

Abstract

The under-utilization of most indigenous plant crops have been largely due to lack of information on the potential uses of plants. The need to explore the uses of plants laid credence for the establishment of preservation potentials of Canna indicia, Megaphrynium macrostachyum and Thaumatococcus daniellii leaves of Corn Jell-O shelf-life. Fungi were isolated from Corn Jello-O wrapped separately with leaves of C. indica, M. macrostachyum and T. daniellii and unwrapped Corn Jell-O at interval for 14 days. The proximate composition of the Corn Jell-O with wrapped leaves and Corn Jell-O was ascertained at intervals for 14 days. The fungi isolated are Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporium, Rhizopus stolonifer, Paecilomyces varotti, Penicillium crustosum and Trichoderma harzianum. The proximate analysis revealed that the leaves have good preservative potential after seven days of using them to preserve Corn Jell-O. C. Indicia showed highest ash contents with a mean value of 0.076±0.002g, M. Macrostachyum showed the highest level of protein contents with a mean value of 0.46±0.000 absorbance and T. daniellii had the highest moisture, fibre and carbohydrate remains of 1.61±0.003g, 0.11±0.0003g and 0.46±0.01 absorbance respectively. The study was able to validate the local use of the plants’ leaves for the preservation of food.