Phytochemical, Elemental and Proximate Analyses of Stored, Sun-Dried and Shade-Dried Baobab (<em>Adansonia digitata</em>) Leaves

Abstract

Abstract-Baobab (Adansonia digitata) leaves are usually used in dry form in the preparation of a soup known as 'miyan kuka' in Northern Nigeria. The leaves are believed to have nutritional and medicinal benefits and have been used for those purposes in Africa and Asia. However there has been limited research on the detailed constituents of the dry leaves. In this study, phytochemical, elemental and proximate analyses of stored, sun and shade-dried baobab leaves were conducted. The results revealed a great variation in the nutritional contents of the leaves. The study reveals that the leaves are rich in phytochemicals such as glycosides, saponins, steroids and flavonoids while alkaloids, tannins and resins are absent. Also, they are important source of minerals such as zinc, copper, iron and manganese. In addition, they are rich in fibre, crude protein, nitrogen and ash. Contrasting responses were obtained in the samples studied. The implications of these responses are discussed in relation to crop yield.

Uranium and Thorium contaminations of Baobab leave powder consumed in selected locations of Katsina State, North West Nigeria

“…This type of contamination was found to be an effective cause of health hazards according to the studies carried out by different centers of nuclear research (Sheppard et al, 1989;Apps et al, 1988;Ibrahim & Whicker, 1988). Some researchers have studied heavy metal contaminations and health risk assessment of the baobab leaves in Nigeria (Mohammed et al, 2016;Ogbaga et al, 2017;Abdus-Salam & Adekola, 2018;Yaradua et al, 2019;Akintola et al, 2019;Rabiu et al, 2021;Mamman et al, 2021;Yaradua et al, 2023;Joseph et al, 2024), Ghana (Bempah et al, 2011;Agbemafle et al, 2012), Kenya (Stadlmayr et al, 2020), Malawi (Muthai et al, 2017;Kamanua et al, 2018), Zimbabwe (Gabaza, et al, 2018), among others. However, reviewed literatures have revealed a great variation in reported values of nutritional contents of baobab parts.…”