Nutritional composition of Gongronema latifolium and Vernonia amygdalina

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the potential food, feed and industrial values of some tropical underutilized medicinal plant materials.

Design/methodology/approach

Dry‐milled plants, namely: Gongronema latifolium and Vernonia amygdalina were subjected to chemical analysis to determine their proximate, mineral, elemental, fatty acid and amino acid compositions using standard procedures.

Findings

Results show that the lipid extract, ash, crude fibre and nitrogen free extractives, oxalate, phytate and tannin of the plants are within expected ranges. They however had unexpectedly high crude protein content: 27.20 and 21.69 per cent, respectively. Potassium, phosphorus, calcium and cobalt were the most abundant mineral elements. G. latifolium and V. amygdalina leaf oils are 50.22 and 24.54 per cent saturated; 39.38 and 65.45 per cent polyunsaturated, respectively. Palmitic and oleic acids were the major monounsaturated fatty acids. Degrees of unsaturation are 0.46 and 0.41, respectively. Major essential amino acids are leucine, valine and phenylalanine. Proportions of essential to non‐essential amino acid are 43.37 and 49.84 per cent, respectively.

Originality/value

The nutritional composition of the plant materials suggests that they may find use in food/feed formulation operations and as industrial raw materials.

Citation

Frederick Eleyinmi, A., Sporns, P. and Bressler, D.C. (2008), "Nutritional composition of Gongronema latifolium and Vernonia amygdalina", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 38 No. 2, pp. 99-109. https://doi.org/10.1108/00346650810862975