Comparative Studies on the Phytochemical Content and Proximate Composition of Different Parts of Moringa Oleifera Plant Grown in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria

Abstract

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a well-known versatile multipurpose tree used formedicine and as vegetable to bridge the protein gap and energy demand ofmany communities in Africa. This study examined and compared thephytochemical contents and proximate composition of different parts of thisplant, using standard analytical methods. Results obtained from this studyon the phytochemical contents of M. oleifera revealed that there waspresence of alkaloids, cardiac glycoside, flavonoids, phenols, saponins andtannins in different proportions inall the plant parts investigated. The levelsof alkaloids, flavonoids and tannins were highest in the leaf (0.33%,26.29mgQE/g and 2.83 mgTAE/g, respectively), followed by the stem bark(0.22%, 20.41mgQE/g and 0.84 mgTAE/g, respectively) which also had thehighest total phenol content (10.20 mgTAE/g). Surprisingly, the seed hadalmost the lowest level of these secondary metabolites, while the root andflower have them in moderate proportions. The protein contents of the seed(34.48%), flower (30.08%), leaf (28.32%), stem bark (23.11%) and root(17.50%) were above 12%, they are therefore, good sources of protein. M.oleifera leaf seemed to have the highest medicinal attributes as reflected inthe appreciable level of phytochemicals found in it. Hence, the wide spreaduse of the leaf for medicinal purpose. However, the seed and flowercontained higher amount of the nutrients investigated, thus they can beincluded in diets to supplement foods lacking protein, carbohydrates andlipids to meet the human’s daily nutritional needs. Moreover, all the M.oleifera plant parts could be good supplements for animal feeds.