Determination of vitamins in five selected West African green leafy vegetables

Increased awareness of the usefulness of vegetable inclusions in human food has enhanced their consumption as part of the daily diet. The therapeutic potential of the vegetables is usually attributed to the high content of vital vitamins. The aim of this study is to detect the presence of vitamins A, B2, C and E in Launaea taraxacifolia, Solanum aethiopicum, Telfairia occidentalis, Amaranthus caudatum and Amaranthus hybridus leaf extracts. The vitamins were extracted using chemical methods and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography system was employed for detection and quantification of the vitamins. These findings show that all the assayed vitamins were present in the selected vegetables in different amounts. The results show that among the green leafy vegetables studied, the level of β-carotene (1957.26 µg/mL) and riboflavin (224.67 µg/mL) was higher in S. aethopicum than the other leafy vegetables. In addition, A. caudatus had the highest level of ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol which are 5298.94 µg/mL and 1375.46 µg/mL respectively. Based on the widely reported health benefits of the selected vitamins and the quantity detected in this study, these vegetables might prevent the occurrence of the various diseases. Thus, the level of the various vitamins in these vegetables is of great importance for the generation of a database on nutritional value which is important for future research. (Adetutu A. Determination of vitamins in five selected green leafy vegetables. J Am Sci 2013;9(2s):40-43). (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.jofamericanscience.org.