Nutritional Characterization and Phenolic Profiling of Moringa oleifera Leaves Grown in Chad, Sahrawi Refugee Camps, and Haiti

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Alessandro Leone⁶  Giovanni Fiorillo⁶  Franca Criscuoli⁶  Stefano Ravasenghi⁶  Laura Santagostini⁴  Gelsomina Fico⁵  Angela Spadafranca⁶  Alberto Battezzati⁶  Alberto Schiraldi¹  Federica Pozzi²  Sara di Lello⁷  Sandro Filippini³  Simona Bertoli⁶ 

[1] Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy; E-Mail:;AVSI Foundation, Via Legnone, 20158 Milan, Italy; E-Mail:;ACRA Foundation, Via Lazzaretto 3, 20124 Milan, Italy; E-Mail:;Department of Chemistry, University of Milan, Via Golgi 19, 20133 Milan, Italy; E-Mail:;Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DISFARM), University of Milan, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy; E-Mail:;International Center for the Assessment of Nutritional Status (ICANS), University of Milan, Via Sandro Botticelli 21, 20133 Milan, Italy; E-Mails:;Movimento Africa 70, Via Missori 14, 20900 Monza, Italy; E-Mail:

关键词: Moringa oleifera;    proximate analysis;    antioxidant;    flavonoids;    phenolic acids;    salicylic acid;    ferulic acid;    Chad;    Sahrawi;    Haiti;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms160818923

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Moringa oleifera is a plant that grows in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Its leaves are rich of nutrients and bioactive compounds. However, several differences are reported in the literature. In this article we performed a nutritional characterization and a phenolic profiling of M. oleifera leaves grown in Chad, Sahrawi refugee camps, and Haiti. In addition, we investigated the presence of salicylic and ferulic acids, two phenolic acids with pharmacological activity, whose presence in M. oleifera leaves has been scarcely investigated so far. Several differences were observed among the samples. Nevertheless, the leaves were rich in protein, minerals, and β-carotene. Quercetin and kaempferol glycosides were the main phenolic compounds identified in the methanolic extracts. Finally, salicylic and ferulic acids were found in a concentration range of 0.14–0.33 and 6.61–9.69 mg/100 g, respectively. In conclusion, we observed some differences in terms of nutrients and phenolic compounds in M. oleifera leaves grown in different countries. Nevertheless, these leaves are a good and economical source of nutrients for tropical and sub-tropical countries. Furthermore, M. oleifera leaves are a source of flavonoids and phenolic acids, among which salicylic and ferulic acids, and therefore they could be used as nutraceutical and functional ingredients.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.