Title: Proximate and Mineral Composition of Nigerian Leafy Vegetables
Abstract: Proximate analysis and mineral composition of some Nigerian leafy vegetables: bitter leaf (<em>Veronia amygdalina</em> L), India spinach (<em>Basella alba</em> L), bush buck (<em>Gongronema latifolium</em>), scent leaf (<em>Ocimium grastissimum</em>), Smooth amaranth (<em>Amaranthus hybridus</em>)<em>, </em>Roselle plant (<em>Hibiscus sabdariffa</em>) and fluted pumpkin (<em>Telfaria occidentali</em>) were carried out using standard analytical procedures. The moisture content of the samples ranged between 10.0-12.08 %, crude protein, crude fibre, crude fat, ash contents and carbohydrate ranged between: 46.56 and 66.60, 4.02 and 12.08, 3.51 and 14.02, 5.02 and 15.55, 1.16 and 15.79 % dry matter (DM). Mineral element analysis showed that the leafy vegetables contained high levels of calcium (63.36-110.16), magnesium (27.51-288.65), sodium (15.01-88.00) and potassium (16.85-168.96) and low levels of copper (nd-3.14), nickel (2.32-18.16) and manganese (2.54-10.06) mg/100g respectively. The study showed that the leafy vegetables examined contained high levels of crude protein with low fat content and crude fibres.