Evaluation of the Proximate, Mineral, Anti-Nutritional and Amino Acid Compositions of Ficus glumosa Leaves and Stem Bark

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the proximate, mineral, anti-nutritional and amino acid compositions of Ficus glumosa leaves and stem bark. All investigations followed well-established analytical protocols. The Technicon Sequential Multisample (TSM) Amino Acid Analyzer was used to do amino acid analysis using ion exchange chromatography (IEC). The leaves and stem bark of Ficus glumosa had moisture values of 9.78 and 9.67 percent, respectively, according to the findings. The leaves had a crude protein content of 18.8 percent, whereas the stem bark had a crude protein content of 7.73 percent. The mineral content of the leaves was found to be higher than that of the stem bark. The Na/K ratios in the leaves and stem bark were 0.048 and 0.09, respectively. Tannins had the highest amounts of 5.42 and 12.5 (mgTAE/g) among the four anti-nutrients tested for the leaves and stem bark, respectively. The leaves and stem bark contained 95.2 and 83.4 g/100 g cp amino acids, respectively, according to amino acid compositions. Glu was the most concentrated amino acid, with values of 12.8 g/100g cp (leaves) and 16.2 g/100g cp (stem bark). The leaves had 44.9 g/100 g cp (47.2 percent) essential amino acid, while the stem bark had 37.2 g/100 g cp (44.6 percent). Ficus glumosa leaves and stem bark had a significant amount of crude protein, vital mineral elements, and essential amino acids, all of which could help to alleviate protein deficiency in underdeveloped nations. Both stem bark and leaves could be good sources of food for reducing high blood pressure because of the low Na/K ratio.