Effect of Cooking Methods (Boiling and Roasting) on Nutrients and Anti-nutrients Content of Moringa oleifera Seeds

This study evaluated the effect of different cooking methods (boiling and roasting) on the nutrients and anti-nutrients content of Moringa oleifera seeds. The Moringa oleifera seeds were collected from Enugu state, Nigeria. The grains were picked, washed, drained and divided into seven portions. The first portion was raw and it served as the control. The second, third and fourth portions were boiled at different time intervals. The remaining fifth, sixth and seventh portions were roasted at different time intervals. With the roasting and boiling temperatures kept constant, the different time set up was 10 min, 20 min and 30 min. The nutrient and the anti-nutrients determination were done using various standards. Mean and standard deviation of the duplicate determinations were calculated. The result showed that boiling and roasting increased the protein, fibre, vitamin A, iron and zinc content. The result also showed that cooking techniques (boiling and roasting) decreased the tannin level but increased the saponin, phytate and oxalate levels. Because of the nutritive values of this under-exploited food crops, nutrition education workshops should be conducted to enlighten mothers on how to improve infants and adult foods with appropriate cooking methods on Moringa olefeira seeds.