Nutritional composition of Corchorus olitorius leaves

Abstract

The proximate and mineral composition of Corchorus olitorius leaves collected from a farm site at Barkin-Saleh in Minna town, Niger State, Nigeria, were carried out using standard methods of food analysis. The results of proximate composition showed that the leaves contained 18.38±0.32% ash, 12.54±0.10% crude protein, 11.99±0.50% crude lipid and 19.56±0.18% available carbohydrate. The leaves also had high energy value of 200.78±3.54 kcal/100g respectively. Mineral analysis revealed that potassium (2814.15±8.08 mg/100g) and magnesium (76.69± 0.13 mg/100g) were the dominant elements. The leaves also contained appreciable concentrations of Na (54.56±0.42 mg/100g), Ca (30.55±0.05 mg/100g), P (6.68±0.02 mg/100g), Cu (2.52±0.02 mg/100g), Fe (19.53±0.09 mg/100g), Mn (5.95±0.04 mg/100g) and Zn (4.71+0.01 mg/100g). The present result confirmed that Corchorus Olitorius leaves are rich sources of potassium, iron, copper, manganese and zinc as well as high energy values essential in human and animal nutrition.

Keywords: Corchorus olitorius, nutritional composition, minerals, human and animal nutrition