Folic Acid Contents of Selected Commonly Consumed Vegetables in Southern Nigeria: Implications on Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinics
Abstract
The present study aimed at determining the folic acid contents of selected commonly consumed vegetables (Jatropha tanjorensis, Talinum triangulaire, Vernonia amygdalina, Ocimum gratissimum and Telfairia occidentalis) in Southern Nigeria and their implications on pregnant women attending antenatal clinics. The determination of folate in the vegetable samples passed five main processes: extraction, deconjugation using chicken pancreas deconjugase, transformation, purification, and quantification. Through this process, all folates formed in the deconjugated sample extracts were converted to 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid (THF-5CH3) monosodium glutamate and/or diglutamate. Purification was done by affinity chromatography with Folate Binding Protein and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with fluorimetric detection was used to determine the total folate content. The five vegetables had total folate contents between 58.57 to 253.02 µg/100g. Jatropha tanjorensis had the highest total folate content and contributed as much as 63.3% of the 400 µg recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of folate for women of reproductive age while Vernonia amygdalina had the least total folate content. Based on the result of the study, pregnant women attending antenatal clinics are encouraged by the researcher to consume the leaves of Jatropha tanjorensis (Hospital Too Far) followed by Telfairia occidentalis (Fluted pumpkin leaves) in higher amounts, as they contained higher amounts of folic acid than the other vegetables studied since they are at high risk of folate deficiency, which causes pregnancy complications like neural tube defects, preterm delivery, infant low birth weight, foetal growth retardation, spontaneous abortion, placental abruption, and preeclampsia.
Keywords
Folate, Folate Deficiency, Vegetables, Pregnancy, Neural Tube Defects
Citations
IRE Journals:
Owo Gogo James , Kpomah E. Dennis
"Folic Acid Contents of Selected Commonly Consumed Vegetables in Southern Nigeria: Implications on Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinics" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 6 Issue 12 2023 Page 328-332
IEEE:
Owo Gogo James , Kpomah E. Dennis
"Folic Acid Contents of Selected Commonly Consumed Vegetables in Southern Nigeria: Implications on Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinics" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 6(12)
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