The effect of time of harvest and drying method on the nutritional composition of spider flower (Cleome gynandra L)

Abstract

The effect of time of harvest and drying method on nutritional composition of Spider flower ( Cleome gynandra L) was studied. Spider flower was harvested at six weeks and seven weeks after planting. Drying was done using oven and sun drying methods. The results showed that crude protein (28.85 g/100 g), ash (10.75 g/100 g) and carbohydrate (32.13 g/100 g) contents were significantly higher in the seventh week harvest than the sixth week harvest. With respect to drying method, crude protein (28.50 g/100 g), crude fibre (14.71 g/100 g) and ash content (10.75 g/100 g) of the seventh week oven-dried samples were significantly higher than the sun-dried. There were significant interactions between time of harvest and drying method with respect to the proximate composition. With the exception of phosphorus, there were no significant differences between drying methods as well as time of harvest with respect to the mineral composition. However, the interaction between harvesting at the seventh week and drying in the oven resulted in better preservation of proteins.