Proximate and Phytochemical Composition of the Leaves of Morinda lucida

Abstract

The present study investigated the proximate and phytochemical composition of the leaves of Morinda lucida. The results obtained from its quantitative phytochemical analyses indicated that M. lucida leaf contains 14.9 ± 0.23mg/100 g saponin, 82.2 ± 1.28 mg/100 g alkaloid, 32.3 ± 0.51 mg/100 g flavonoid, 12.4 ± 0.19 mg/100 g tannin, 137.2 ±2.13mg/100g phytate, 250.7 ± 3.90mg/100g oxalate, 10.2 ± 0.16mg/100g anthraquinones and 8.0 ± 0.12 mg/100 g cyanogenic glycosides. Furthermore, results of its proximate analysis revealed the presence of high levels of carbohydrate, and appreciable levels of protein, fibre, ash, moisture and lipid. Thus, the results obtained from this study revealed that M. lucida leaf is rich in phytochemicals and therefore will potentially serve very beneficial purposes for medicinal benefits if properly processed.
Keywords: Morinda lucida, Proximate, Phytochemical