American Journal of Food and Nutrition, 2017, Vol. 5, No. 2, 51-57 Available online at http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajfn/5/2/1 ©Science and Education Publishing DOI:10.12691/ajfn-5-2-1 Mineral and Vitamin Composition of Some Lesser Known Leafy Vegetables Consumed in Northern Senatorial District of Cross River State, Nigeria Agiang Margaret Akpana 1,* , Mgbang John Edward 1 , Peters Henry 2 , Akuirene Joseph 1 1 Department of Biochemistry, College of Medical Sciences, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria 2 Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria *Corresponding author: margaretagiang@yahoo.co.uk Abstract Seven leafy vegetables (Albizia zygia, Basella alba, Ficus glumosa, Hibiscus cannabinus, Pterocarpus santalinoides, Solanum nigrum and Vitex doniana) grown in the Northern Senatorial District of Cross River State, Nigeria, were authenticated and evaluated for their vitamin and mineral contents using standard methods of analysis. The fresh leafy vegetables were collected from local farms around Obudu, Bekwarra and Obanliku LGA of Cross River State, Nigeria. The results of mineral analysis revealed that at P<0.05, Basella alba had the highest potassium (146.03±1.14mg/100g) and phosphorus (36.83±0.09mg/100g) content, Hibiscus cannabinus had the highest content of magnesium (168.30±0.12mg/100g) while Ficus glumosa had a relatively high sodium content (16.43±0.12mg/100g). Vitex doniana had the highest content of calcium (67.47±0.12mg/100g). The heavy metals, cadmium, lead and mercury were not detected. Ficus glumosa had the highest content of Beta carotene (5.07±0.33mg/100g) and ascorbic acid (68.50±0.12mg/100g) while Vitex doniana had the highest content of vitamin E (6.23±0.06mg/100g). Solanum nigrum had the highest concentration of vitamin B 2 (0.85±0.06mg/100g) and vitamin B 6 (18.43±0.18mg/100g). The results suggest that the seven leafy vegetables contain appreciable amounts of minerals and vitamins, thus may be included in diets to supplement daily dietary allowances needed by the body, hence, improving nutritional status and curbing the problem of micronutrient deficiency. Keywords: mineral, vitamin, vegetables, micronutrients, micronutrient deficiency Cite This Article: Agiang Margaret Akpana, Mgbang John Edward, Peters Henry, and Akuirene Joseph, “Mineral and Vitamin Composition of Some Lesser Known Leafy Vegetables Consumed in Northern Senatorial District of Cross River State, Nigeria.” American Journal of Food and Nutrition, vol. 5, no. 2 (2017): 51-57. doi: 10.12691/ajfn-5-2-1. 1. Introduction The term vegetable may be defined as the fresh portion of herbaceous plants that may be eaten either raw or cooked [1]. According to Misra and Misra [2] and Igile et al. [3], they are sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots and are a valuable part of the dietary regimen of Africans, providing essential minerals and vitamins needed for growth, development and maintenance of optimal health. However, wild edible plants have also been shown to have very high nutritional potentials so much so that their nutritional value can be considered greater than that of some cultivated green-leafy vegetables. The wild edible plants have been reported to contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, pigments as well as a host of secondary metabolites like polyphenolics, alkaloids, gums, resins and essential fatty acids that enhance dietary taste and colour [1], hence they have become a necessary and complimentary source of nutrients in most homes. They are easily collected by rural dwellers from the environment and thus inexpensive, used as regular ingredients in dietary regimen of tribal people of Northern Cross River State of Nigeria, and may provide good amount of nutrients in comparison with other fruit and seed plants. These wild edible vegetables are often prepared into vegetable sauce or soups and eaten with boiled yam or pounded yam, cassava ‘garri’ meal, or cassava ‘fufu’. Cooking (or blanching before use) of these vegetables, as it is often practiced by the rural dwellers and all who consume this vegetables, is bound to cause nutrient losses, though it may help to reduce the amount of anti-nutrients in the vegetables. These vegetables form part of the regular meals of the rural dwellers just as other conventional vegetables do and can be eaten 3 to 4 times a week particularly in the season of abundance. When dietary intake of vegetables and fruits is insufficient, micronutrient malnutrition occurs and this is reported to be responsible for about 2.7 million deaths worldwide annually, thus ranking it among the top ten risk factors that contribute to mortality rates observed around the world [4]. There are about 907 million undernourished people in developing countries alone, of which Africa represents the larger proportion [5]. On a global scale, it is estimated that about 10.6 million children below five years of age die on an annual basis and malnutrition is seen as the underlying cause of about 50% of these deaths.