摘要：The Moringa Oleifera leaves contains a very high level of nutrients, some of which may be lost during drying. It is therefore necessary to determine the most appropriate drying method to minimize the loss of these nutrients. The main objectives of this work is to evaluate the effect of sun drying and drying at ambient conditions on the some mineral and vitamin content of Moringa Oleifera leaves powder with a view to determine the most suitable drying method for the production of Moringa Oleifera leaves powder. Fresh Moringa Oleifera leaves were harvested, defoliated, washed and drained. With the initial mineral and vitamin contents of the leaves determined, 120 g each was then sundried and dried at ambient conditions. The dried samples were milled and the mineral and vitamin contents determined using standard methods. The results shows that the sundried samples have higher content of vitamin C and E while the samples dried at the ambient conditions have the higher contents of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and vitamin A. Drying however has no significant effects (p < 0.05) on the zinc and copper contents of Moringa Oleifera leaves. It can be concluded that drying generally resulted in the decrease in phosphorus, vitamins E and A contents of Moringa Oleifera leaves, while it increases the potassium, magnesium and vitamin C contents. It is therefore recommended that Moringa Oleifera leaves should be dried at ambient conditions due to the higher retention of some essential minerals and vitamins content of the dried sa mples.
关键词：Moringa Oleifera leaves; sun drying; ambient condition; mineral; vitamins
