Effect of Three Drying Modes on Nutritive and Antinutritive Properties of Leafy Vegetables Consumed in Northern Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

In tropical Africa, leafy vegetables are traditionally eaten as a relish together with a starchy staple food. Nevertheless, report on their nutritive potential is scanty. In order to contribute to their valorization, leafy vegetables consumed in the north of Côte d'Ivoire (Cerathoteca sesamoides, Leptadenia hastata, Ocimum gratissimum and Portulaca oleracea) were studied. The leafy vegetables were collected in the towns of Korhogo and Dabakala located respectively in the North and Center-North of Côte d'Ivoire. These sheets were subjected to three drying treatments before their characterization. To do this, the physico-chemical and nutritional properties of these leafy vegetables have been realized. The results revealed that oven and sun drying significantly reduced the moisture in our four leafy greens. After drying, C. sesamoides and O. gratissimum had the lowest moisture content of 8.25±0.15% and 8.07±0.06% respectively for oven drying, while sun drying reduced these moisture levels to 9.48±0.12% and 9.23±0.1% respectively for the leaves of C. sesamoides and O. gratissimum. Unlike humidity, these analyzes revealed a concentration of ashes, proteins, fibers and carbohydrates during the three drying modes. With regard to the ashes, drying in an oven allowed a better concentration in the leaves of L. hastata (13.40±0.04%) and P. oleracea (21.81±0.50%) while drying in the sun gave a content of 18.24±0.33% (P. oleracea) and that of shade drying recorded a content of 13.26±0.13% (L. hastata). Concerning the protein content, the results obtained showed that the leaves of C. sesamoides, L. hastata and O. gratissimum had a better concentration during drying in the oven and in the shade. Oven drying recorded a protein content of 22.01±0.08% (L. hastata) and 22.65±0.08% (O. gratissimum) while shade drying recorded a protein content of 22.67±0.10 % (L. hastata) and 23.62±0.46% (C. sesamoides). At the level of crude fibers, the results showed that the leaves .............