Evaluation of Pre-Treatment Effects on Phytochemical Components of “Nyama Asabo” ( diplazium esculentum ): A Traditional Vegetable in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Dr. Okon Thompson Umoh Idara Etim Ituen; Juliet Emmanuel Otu

doi:10.56201/rjfsqc.vol.11.no8.2025.pg133.145

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Evaluation of Pre-Treatment Effects on Phytochemical Components of “Nyama Asabo” ( diplazium esculentum ): A Traditional Vegetable in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Dr. Okon Thompson Umoh Idara Etim Ituen, Juliet Emmanuel Otu

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of different pretreatment methods on the phytochemical composition and amino acid profile of “Nyama Asabo” (Diplazium esculentum) to determine the most effective processing method for preserving its nutritional quality in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Fresh leaves of D. esculentum (300 g each) were subjected to oven drying at 60°C, steam blanching at 70°C for 2 minutes, hot water blanching at 70°C for 2 minutes and hot water blanching with 2.5% sodium bicarbonate at 70°C for 2 minutes, while fresh leaves served as the control. The pretreated and fresh samples were analyzed for phytochemicals, including flavonoids, oxalates, saponins, alkaloids, trypsin inhibitors, phytates, tannins and cyanide, as well as the amino acid profile of the fresh leaves. Results showed that pretreatments significantly influenced the levels of bioactive compounds, with reductions observed in antinutritional factors such as oxalates, phytates, tannins and trypsin inhibitors, while cyanide content remained extremely low (1.08 ± 0.01 mg/100 g in fresh leaves and 0.04-0.05 mg/100 g in processed samples), indicating safety for consumption. Oven drying and steam blanching preserved higher concentrations of flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids, tannins and phytates compared to hot water blanching, demonstrating their effectiveness in retaining beneficial compounds. Amino acid analysis of fresh leaves revealed substantial amounts of essential and non-essential amino acids, particularly glutamic acid, leucine and serine, confirming the vegetable potential as a plant-based protein source. The study recommended that fresh Nyama Asabo should be added in diets with controlled pretreatments, particularly hot water blanching with sodium bicarbonate, to reduce antinutritional factors while preserving phytochemicals.

Keywords

Diplazium esculentumpretreatmentphytochemicalsamino acidsnutritional quality

References

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Evaluation of Pre-Treatment Effects on Phytochemical Components of “Nyama Asabo” ( diplazium esculentum ): A Traditional Vegetable in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

Keywords

References

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