moringa

Effect of drying methods (sun-drying and cabinet oven drying) on the physicochemical properties and fatty acid composition of oils extracted from moringa seeds was investigated. Oil from the seeds was extracted using solvent (hexane) after drying. Drying increased the yield from 30.30-33.11%. The oil samples were less dense than water with specific gravities of 0.9032, 0.9075 and 0.9030 respectively. A significant difference exists in the moisture contents (0.11-0.21%); smoke point (202-2250C), flash point (310-3170C) and fire point (360-3690C). Sun-drying and cabinet oven drying brought about a decrease in the acid value (1.80-1.08mgKOH/g), saponification value (174.87-105mgKOH/g), Iodine value (16.10-13.90wijs) and peroxide value (11.24-2.3-Meq/kg). The decrease is an indication of quality improvement of the oils. More unsaturated fatty acids were present in the samples between 76.61% and 81.66%. Oleic acid was predominant (44.92% raw, 45.71% sundried and 43.60% cabinet oven dried). Sun-drying and cabinet oven drying did not have much significant effect on the physical, chemical and fatty acid compositions of the oil. The results obtained from this study showed that the three oil samples are good as edible oil and for commercial purpose.

Moringa oleifera which is also known as horseradish or drumstick tree is a rapidly growing, drought-tolerant tree that can tolerate poor soil conditions. It is presently broadly cultivated and has turned out to be naturalized in numerous geographical areas of the tropics. The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth performance and survivability of Moringa seed origins in the North Florida region of the United States of America. Seedlings were prepared in the George Conoly Greenhouse at the Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL. The seed origins were Ghana, Texas PKM1, Haiti PKM1, Colombia, Nigeria, Jamaica, Nigeria Local, Impex PKM1, Peela Medu, India EOA PKM1, and Belton. A randomized completely block design (RCBD) was used in this study to compare the performance of eleven seed origins of M. oleifera Height and Stem diameter. Nigeria Local had the best performance in terms of height for 2018 and 2019 growing seasons, 191.98 ± 7.42 cm and 123.19 ± 26.67 cm, respectively. Colombia had the best performance in terms of stem diameter for the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons, 2.6 ± 0 cm and 2.08 ± 0 cm, respectively. However, DMRT revealed that the height and stem diameter of the seed origins were not significantly different (p ≤ 0.05). Therefore, the results revealed that the alternative hypotheses (Ha) that the Moringa oleifera seed origins were significantly different in heights and stem diameter were rejected.

In developing countries, malnutrition represents a public health problem, which affects many children under five, during their complementary feeding period. One way to overcome this problem is through the supplementation of complementary flours with locally available food resources, such as Moringa oleifera leaf (MOL). An experimental study was conducted from June through November 2019 in the southern-Benin, with moderately acutely malnourished (MAM) children, using a porridge made of a mixture of corn, malted sorghum, soybean, peanut, milk, and moringa leaf powder. A total of 150 MAM children aged 12-59 months were recruited and divided into two groups, an intervention group (48) and a control group (75). The intervention group received the test food, a porridge made of maize flour supplemented with Moringa oleifera leaf flour (MOL-flour), at least 5 times/week for 6 months. The control group, whose mothers received nutritional education sessions on food diversification as well as the different ways of preparing MOL meals. Sensory evaluation, anthropometric and dietary diversity data were collected. Z-scores Weight/Height, Weight/Age et Height/Age were determined before and right after the intervention. Results showed that 70% of the children and more than 75% of the mothers assessed the porridge as palatable. A significant average weight gain of 1.720 g (p < 0.005) was observed in the intervention group at the end of the experimentation, with a reduction of the prevalence of underweight by 1,33% (p > 0.05), and the number of acute Malnutrition children by 10,42% (p < 0.005).