THE NUTRITIONAL VALUES AND FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF WILD IPOMOEA AQUATIC (WATER SPINACH) FOUND IN THE FADAMA AREAS OF MINNA, NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Analysis of the chemical composition, amino acid profile and functional properties of the leaves and stem of Ipomoea aquatic (water spinach) was carried out using standard methods of food analysis. The results of the proximate analysis showed high crude protein in the leaves (17.48±0.035%) while the stem was lower in crude protein (1.74±0.042%). The carbohydrate content of the leaves and stems were relatively high (57.47±0.035 and 66.55±0.030% respectively). The fat, crude fibre, ash and moisture contents were within the range of values expected for dry leafy vegetables. The anti-nutritional factors analyzed in the leaves and stem namely tannin, saponin, oxalate, alkaloids and flavonoids significantly differed from one another at p? 0.05. All the essential amino acids were present in good quantities in both samples in comparison with the WHO/FAO reference protein. The investigation of mineral contents in mg/kg showed that the leaves and stems of Ipomoea aquatic were relatively high in potassium, magnesium, sodium, and phosphorus. The functional properties of the leaves and stems namely; bulk density, pH, water absorption, oil absorption capacity, gelatinization temperature, viscosity and wettability showed significant differences between the two parts of the plant analyzed.