Abstract
This study investigates the nutritional and phytochemical composition of some selected aquatic plants to serve as indexes of nutritional values for both domesticated aquatic and terrestrial animals. Freshly harvested Nympheaa lotus (water lily), Pistia stratioties (water lettuce), Eichorrnia crassipes (water hyacinth) and Ipomoea aquatica (water spinach) were collected from Upper Jebba Basin, Niger State, Nigeria. The plants were cleaned to remove dirt, air-dried, grind and analysed for the proximate, minerals (macro and micro elements) contents and phytochemical properties (quantitative) using standard procedures. The result show that water spinach had the least mean moisture content of 6.25 ± 0.87% while water lily has the highest mean concentration of 8.78 ± 1.09% and significantly difference from other sampled plants (p>0.05). The percentage ash content of the samples shows a high value for water lettuce (16.20 ± 0.46) and also significant among the plant samples. The water lily recorded the lowest value of 9.0 ± 0.50% for crude fibre with water spinach having the highest (18.38 ± 0.88%) at a significant level (p>0.05). The crude protein of (26.45 ± 1.12%) in water spinach and (23.27 ± 0.85) in water lettuce are comparatively higher to17.93 ± 1.02% and 17.23 ± 0.02 recorded in water lily and water hyacinth respectively. Crude fat of 14.10 ± 1.15% in water lettuce is significantly lower to other plants. The carbohydrate level of 34.92 ± 1.53 is the highest in all plants analysed while the lowest content (22.12 ± 0.03%) was found in water spinach. For minerals content; K concentration was the highest of all macro-mineral elements, though varied among the sampled plants. Water spinach has the highest concentration of all analysed elements (9.82 for K; 4.24 ± 0.01 for Mg; 3.35 ± 0.01 for Ca and 3.23 ± 0.02 for Na)g/kg followed water lettuce, water hyacinth and water lily. The amount of Fe found in all sample was higher and range from 186.30 ± 0.10 μg/g in water lily to 197.5 ± 0.05 μg/g in water spinach while Cu, Mn and Zn are also constituted. The presence of some important phytochemical such as alkaloids (2.68 ± 0.01 μg/mg - 4.12 ± 0.01 μg/mg), saponin (1.27 ± 0.03 μg/mg - 1.38 ± 0.01 μg/mg), etc in all the plant samples could also makes the plants pharmacologically active and could be considered as good feed supplement by virtue of their proximate composition.
Highlights
Aquatic plants grow profusely in lakes and waterways all over the world and have become weedy in many lakes and ponds
The nutritional composition of four less economical aquatic plants was determined. It showed that water spinach had the highest percentage concentration of crude protein while water lily and water hyacinth are comparatively lower
All the sampled plants are considerably richer in mineral elements
Summary
Aquatic plants grow profusely in lakes and waterways all over the world and have become weedy in many lakes and ponds. Aquatic plants have been perceived as a nuisance rather than resource with its eradication proved almost impossible and even reasonable control is difficult [1] In recent times their negative and positive effects/implication magnified by man’s intensive use of natural water bodies with its disadvantages associated with this alarming growth rate include nuisance to fisheries, water transportation (navigation), blocking of water supply system and hydro-electric power generation. This plant has some positive uses; turning these plants/weeds to productive use would be desirable if it would partly offset the costs involved in mechanical removal. In China for example, presence of small quantities of water hyacinth is encouraged it fish ponds because fish find food among the roots
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