DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2019.v07i10.001

Pages: 377-386

This study was conducted to determine the nutritional and anti-nutritional composition of the leaves of an edible and medicinal fern, Ceratopteris thalictroides using standard procedures. The phytochemical screening and GC-MS analysis of the leaf extracts were also carried out. GC-MS analysis was done using Agilent technologies Model 7890A coupled with a mass spectrometer Agilent technologies 6975. The results of proximate analysis revealed that the leaves contained 13.39% moisture, 13.36% protein, 10.18 % ash, 5.54% crude fibre, 54.34% carbohydrate, 3.21% fat and energy value of 299.69 kcal/100g. Vitamin C content of 6.09 mg/100g was also observed in the leaves. Minerals analysis revealed the occurrence of minerals such as sodium (85.20 mg/100g), potassium (1341.30 mg/100g), phosphorus (215.00 mg/100g), magnesium (107.00 mg/100g), calcium (434.00 mg/100g), manganese (6.44 mg/100g), iron (58.40 mg/100g), zinc (2.76 mg/100g) and copper (1.19 mg/100g). The anti-nutritional compounds found included oxalate (0.41 mg/100g), phytate (0.36 mg/100g) and hydrogen cyanide (0.15 mg/100g) which were much lower than reported safe limits. Results of phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids (0.02 mg/g ATE), saponins (0.01 mg/g), total phenol (14.51 mg/g GAE), tannins (4.29 mg/g TAE) and flavonoids (6.23 mg/g QE) while terpenoids, steroids, cyanogenic glycosides, cardiac glycosides, anthraquinones and phlobatanins were absent. The results of the GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of twelve compounds with documented therapeutic activities. The major phytocompounds included Benzene, (2-nitroethyl)- (RT: 6.096; 40.75%), .gamma.-Sistosterol (RT: 23.154; 21.87%), n-Hexadecanoic acid (RT: 13.973; 5.96%) and Linalool (RT: 3.349; 4.04%). Others were present as minor compounds. The foregoing results revealed that the leaves of the investigated plant are good sources of essential nutrients. They also contain medicinally important compounds, having therapeutic potentials,