Evaluation of Nutritional and Mineral Composition of Morning glory leaves

Rivea hypocrateriformis (Desr.) Choisy, a member of the Convolvulaceae family and commonly known as 'Morning Glory,' is a woody climbing shrub widely employed in Ayurvedic medicine.  In traditional medicine, various parts of this plant, including its bark, stems, and leaves, have been employed to address a range of health concerns, such as malaria, cancer, mental disorders, and pain relief. In spite of its numerous medicinal attributes, no published work is available till date on nutritional values and elemental analysis of leaves. The nutrient and antinutrient compositions of the leaves were investigated . The result of proximate analysis shows that crude lipid, crude fibre, crude protein, and carbohydrate in the leaves were 2.33 ± 0.51%, 21.34 ± 0.17 %, 11.32 ± 0.22 and 48.19 ± 0.21%. The antinutrient parameters evaluated in the leaves were phytic acid (2.32±0.16) %, saponin content (1.36±0.25 %), alkaloidal contents (0.27±0.06) and oxalate content (0.23 ± 0.10) %. The predominant mineral elements in the leaf powder according to ICP-MS were Ca (45.26 mg/100g), Mg (15.80 mg/100g), and Na (13.31 mg/100g). Lead and arsenic contents were not detected in the leaves Rivea. Hence the outcome of this study revealed that R. hypocrateriformis leaves could be a valuable Neutraceuticals supplement and a cheapest source of essential nutrients to the human diet.