Effects Of Washing And Drying Methods (Sun- Drying And Oven Drying) On The Chemical Composition And Sensory Evaluation Of Bitter Leaf (Vernonia Amygdalina):- Ehiemere, Chidinma P

ABSTRACT I.' • .! X ■ I . i r 11 i Green leafy vegetables occupy an important place among food crops as they provide adequate amounts ofvitamins and minerals for humans. They are fresh agricultural produce having high moisture content and characterized as highly perishable in nature. They also occupy a vital place in diet because of their colour, flavor, nutrient content and health benefits. The effect of different washing and drying methods on the proximate, vitamins, anti-nutritional composition and sensory attributes of vernonia amygdalina were evaluated using standard procedures. It is evident that the changes in moisture content as a function'of time characterized the drying behavior of the vegetable studied. Leaves of vernonia amygdalina were subjected to washing, oven drying and sun drying. Proximate values ofthe washed vegetables were generally higher than the dried counterparts. The least moisture content as expected for dried samples; while the least lipid, protein, fibre, ash, carbohydrate content and energy value were recorded for normal washing processing methods when compared with other processing methods. The vitamin contents of the leaves ranged from 10.77 - 35.92 pg/lOOg for 0 -carotene, 0.14 - 0.24mg/100g for vitamin Bl, 0.11- 0.16mg/100g for vitamin B2 and 30.17-70.38 mg/lOOg for vitamin C respectively. Normal washing retained all the vitamins compared to sun and oven drying. The anti-nutritional composition result showed that tannin, oxalate and phytate ranged from 0.71 - 0.96, 1.51 - 1.97 and 1.73 - 2.02mg/100g respectively. The sensory results showed that the most preferred leave is the traditionally washed one. Finally, the traditional method of normal washing retains all the vitamins and moisture. It is recommended that; more analysis should be conducted on the bitter leaf (vernonia amygdalina) so as ascertain more on their nutritional and therapeutic qualities. Further analysis should be carried out on the samples such as microbial analysis to ascertain the hygienic processes by the handlers.