Nutraceutical qualities of Cucurbita, Vernonia amygdalina Del and Ocimum gratissimum leaves vis-à-vis- vitamins A and C: a source of health benefits

E Adewole,O.T Ogunmodede,O Oludoro,O.I Awonyemi,O.A Peters

doi:10.26656/fr.2017.6(2).514

Abstract

The inadequate information on the nutritional values associated with the consumption of vegetables by the people in our communities demands from the researchers to evaluate the benefits and recommend the highly nutritious vegetables to the host communities. The study was aimed at quantifying the vitamins A and C contents of the three selected indigenous vegetables widely consumed in Akure, Nigeria. Three vegetables were obtained from a local market in Akure, the leaves were processed into powdered form by drying and blending using laboratory scale grinder (Sumeet CM/L 2128945) and sifted through 300 μm sieve. Vitamin C and A were determined according to the recommended procedure. The vitamin A contents were in the range (8.03±0.10 to 21.55±0.04 mg/100 g) with the composite being the highest. The vitamin C contents were recorded in the descending order of composite (10 g of mixture of powdered leaves), Cucurbita, Vernonia amygdalina Del and Ocimum gratissimum. It was interesting to uncover that the composite formulation was highly rich in vitamins A and C and this mixture of vegetables for consumption should be encouraged.

Highlights

Vitamins are essential building blocks for various pharmacological activities in the human body system and their roles in human health cannot be overemphasized
Nutritionists have placed a high premium on diets high in vegetables and fruits because of the prevalence of vitamins especially vitamins A and C and they are recommended for their health-promoting properties (Slavin and Lloyd, 2012)
The vitamin A content of V. amygdalina (11.27±0.03 mg/100 g) was higher than that reported by Bob et al (2019) (1.2±0.9 mg/100 g) for the same vegetable

Summary

Introduction

Vitamins are essential building blocks for various pharmacological activities in the human body system and their roles in human health cannot be overemphasized. Bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina Del) belongs to the family called Asteraceae, it is described as a small shrub with dark green leaves growing in tropical and subtropical Africa (Igile et al, 1994; Erasto et al, 2006; Erasto et al, 2007a; Erasto et al, 2007b; Tsado et al, 2015). It is a perennial plant with a height between 1 m and 6 m (Nwosu et al, 2013). Cucurbita moschata generally called pumpkin belongs to the species of plants Cucurbitaceae and very common in the Andes and Mesoamerica (Burrows and Tyrl, 2008) It is widely grown in African countries, Nigeria inclusive. The three selected vegetables are widely common in Akure, Nigeria and inadequate information on the health benefits associated with the consumption necessitated the study

Sample preparation

Sample preparation for estimation of vitamin C

Estimation of vitamin C

Vitamin A determination

Results and discussion

Conclusion