The effect of different drying methods on the elemental and nutritional composition of Vernonia amygdalina (bitter leaf)
2019
Garba, Zaharaddeen N. | Oviosa, Samuel
Vernonia amygdalina (VA) popularly known as bitter leaf is a common and popular vegetable in Nigeria used as a spice in many delicacies and as medicine. Most people believe that when vegetable like bitter leaf is preserved by the drying method, most of the essential minerals are lost. In this study, the effect of air, sun, oven and solar drying methods on the organic and dietary elemental composition of its leaves was evaluated using standard analytical procedures. Drying increased significantly the concentration of all the organic constituents evaluated. The ashed content was markedly enhanced by drying and it range from 2.56% in fresh sample to 11.20% in sun-dried sample, the fibre content range from 1.62% in fresh sample to 4.02% in air-dried sample, also the lipid content from 0.62% in fresh sample to 2.64% in air-dried sample. A significant increase in mineral content was observed upon drying except magnesium and copper whose concentrations were found to be high (48.23 and 0.31 mg/100 g) in fresh sample. The lead content also decreases upon drying, showing a way of reducing the quantity of lead intake. The concentrations of calcium and iron increased upon drying. The results of this study suggest that drying improves the concentration of both organic and dietary elemental constituents and oven–solar drying methods could be useful in preserving VA leaves in a more hygienic way and ensure its all-the-year round availability and possibly elimination of most nutrient deficiencies.
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