Nutritional And Anti – Nutritional Composition Of Black – Plum (Vitex Doniana)

Abstract

The search for more nutrition sources among forest products has called for the analysis of nutritional and  anti – nutritional composition of Vitex doniana.  Although, Vitex doniana had been  known to be very useful among people across tropical Africa and beyond, but there is lack of adequate data on its nutritional composition. The result of this study presented Vitex doniana as highly nutritious plant that contain moisture of about, 77.03%, ash content: 1.65%, fat: 2.9%, fibre: 2.75, protein: 8.10 and carbohydrate: 7.57. Vitex doniana contains vitamins, macro and micro – nutrient in different proportions. Among anti –nutritive factors found in Vitex doniana are: tannins, saponin, alkaloids and trace of cardiac glycoside, yet this can be controlled by boiling. It is concluded that the young leaf is highly rich in nutrients and contains the nutrient levels that fall within other popular edible vegetables. It is therefore recommended for human consumption in every household. It is also suggested that further research should be carried out on its economic status and feasibility of the seed as feed supplement in animal feed.