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Micronutrient malnutrition is a global challenge. However, there are promising opportunities for combating it through the consumption of neglected and underutilized leafy green vegetables. Senecio biafrae is an underutilized and nutrient-rich green leafy vegetable with huge nutritional and health potentials that have remained unexploited. The aim of this research was to evaluate the proximate, mineral, vitamin, anti-nutrient contents of the leaves of Senecio biafrae. Leaves of Senecio biafrae were collected from five communities in Ekiti State and analyzed using standard biochemical methodologies. The results showed that the leaves differed significantly in nutritional and anti-nutritional contents. The leaves were rich in potassium, magnesium, and calcium, and low in fat and anti-nutrient contents for all the groups studied. The Pearson's correlation results showed that most of the nutritional parameters either had inverse or no relationships with anti-nutrients. The crude protein showed significantly positive correlations with dry matter (0.90**) and a negative correlation with cyanogenic glycosides (-0.90**). Cyanogenic glycosides showed significantly negative correlations with potassium (-0.63**), calcium (-0.66**) and dry matter (-0.44*). Nitrate showed no significant relationship with any nutritional parameter. Oxalate and tannin showed no significant relationship with the vitamins. Phytate and tannin showed no significant relationship with the proximate contents and minerals. The results showed that Senecio biafrae leaf is nutrient-rich and could help to mitigate the effects of micronutrient deficiencies. The variations and relationships among the nutritional and anti-nutritional parameters could enhance meaningful selection and nutritional quality through breeding.

Despite the promising opportunities for nutrition, health, and income generation in Senecio biafrae, this leafy green vegetable has not been brought into the regular vegetable production systems due to it being comparably slower in growth than other veggies at the early growth stage, especially without fertilizer application. Studies on the effects of fertilizer and cultivar on its nutrients and antinutrients are scanty in the literature. The effects of Senecio biafrae accessions (Odo-Oro and Orin-Odo), fertilizers:100% poultry manure (PM) (5 tonnes/ha), 100% NPK 15:15:15 (100 kg/ha), 50% NPK + 50% PM (50 kg/ha NPK + 2.5 tonnes/ha PM) and control (no fertilizer applied) on the nutrients and antinutrients of its fresh leaves were analyzed using standard laboratory procedures. Fertilizer and accession notably (P<0.05) affected the proximate, minerals and antinutrients. Crude protein ranged from 4.10-4.41%, crude fiber 0.86- 1.15% and crude fat 0.93-1.20%. Potassium was in the range 217.25-254.31 mg/100 g, magnesium 36.04-37.53 mg/100 g, calcium 197.19-273.33 mg/100 g, manganese 4.62-8.95 mg/100 g, iron 5.85-9.05 mg/100 g, zinc 0.71-0.98 mg/100 g, phosphorus 334.63-404.25 mg/100 g and sodium 20.19-21.68 mg/100 g. Phytate ranged from 1.28-1.37 mg/100 g, polyphenol 21.50-23.56 mg/100 g, oxalate 0.81-0.87 mg/100 g, and hydrogen cyanide 0.21-0.23 mg/100 g in the fresh leaves. Orin-Odo demonstrated superior nutrient quality. The fertilizers enhanced the nutrients and did not significantly increase most of the antinutrients higher than the control. This implies, fertilizer application in the production of Senecio biafrae may not significantly increase anti-nutrients in its leaves and should be encouraged for its production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the huge nutritional and nutraceutical benefits associated with the consumption of African yam bean (AYB) seeds, AYB tubers are still underutilized in Nigeria, they are left to rot in farmers' fields. To create awareness about their nutrient density and provide information on the bioavailability of micronutrients in the tubers of AYB accessions, raw tubers of TSs 9, TSs 60 and TSs 93 were analyzed using standard laboratory procedures. The AYB tubers had the following composition on a fresh weight basis: crude protein (7.55-8.27%), carbohydrate (9.36-11.12%), crude fat (0.18-0.22%), crude fibre (0.33-0.750%), crude ash (0.44-0.59%), and moisture (79.76-80.82%). The fresh tubers were rich in minerals: potassium (532.88-557.80 mg/100 g), calcium (205.75-467.50 mg/100 g), magnesium (124.75-168.50 mg/100 g), iron (15.71-27.30 mg/100 g), zinc (8.57-14.80 mg/100 g), and manganese (0.68-1.98 mg/100 g). The phytate: Zn and the phytate: Fe molar ratios indicated the bioavailability of Fe and Zn in the raw AYB tubers. The results of this study indicate that AYB tubers are good sources of protein, energy and bioavailable Fe and Zn and should be utilized for human diets and livestock feed. With good processing, AYB tubers could contribute to food and nutrition security. There is a need for research on food products developed from AYB tubers to enhance their utilization and large-scale production in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]