Oxalate Contents of Raw, Boiled, Wok-Fried and Pesto and Juice Made from Fat Hen (Chenopodium album) Leaves

Abstract

The total, soluble, and insoluble oxalate contents of fresh and wok-fried fat hen (Chenopodium album) leaves were extracted and measured using High pressure liquid chromatography. The total oxalate content of the raw leaves was 1112.4 mg/100 g dry matter (DM), and the levels were significantly reduced by boiling (682.8 mg/100 g DM) or cooking the leaves in a wok (883.6 mg/100 g DM). The percentages of soluble oxalate contents in the total oxalates of the raw and boiled leaves were similar (mean 75%), while the proportion of soluble oxalate content in the wok-fried leaves was reduced to 53.4% of the total, giving a significant increase in the insoluble oxalate content of the wok-fried leaves. The percentage of insoluble calcium in the total calcium was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) when the leaves were boiled, but the insoluble oxalate content significantly increased (67.2%) in the wok-fried leaves when compared to the content of the original raw leaves. Processing the cooked leaves into pesto or extracting the juice gave final products that contained significantly reduced total and soluble oxalate contents. The addition of calcium chloride to the juice caused a very small reduction in the soluble oxalate content in the juice.