Chemical Composition of Three Traditional Vegetables in Nigeria

Abstract

This work was carried out to evaluate the nutritional composition of three traditional vegetables in Iree, Osun State. The leafy vegetables used were Cnidoscolus chayamansa (iyana ipaja), Solanium nodiflorum (Ogumo), and Senecio biafrae (worowo). The vegetables were washed in potable water to remove unwanted matters and were analyzed for proximate and mineral All analyses were carried out in three replicates and the data were evaluated for significant differences in their means with Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) (p<0.05). Cnidoscolus chayamansa had higher protein content (5.91%) and carbohydrate content (8.88%) but there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the crude fibre value and that of Senecio biafrae. Senecio biafrae had higher moisture content (89%) while Solanium nodiflorum had higher ash and fat content which were significantly different (p<0.05) from the other vegetables. Cnidoscolus chayamansa had higher values in all the mineral contents determined and these were significantly different (p<0.05) from other vegetable. There were no significant difference (p>0.05) in potassium, calcium and iron contents of Solanium nodiflorum and Senecio biafrae. The three vegetables are good sources of nutrients which could be consumed for normal growth.