Screening Moringa species focused on development of locally available sustainable nutritional supplements

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The leaves of Moringa oleifera (MO) and Moringa stenopetala (MS) commonly grown in Ethiopia possess potential nutritional and medicinal value. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional and functional characteristics of the dried leaf powder from two Moringa species to develop sustainable nutritional supplements for Ethiopians from locally grown plant sources. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Freshly harvested and air-dried MO and MS leaves were authenticated and the nutritional contents, such as protein, ash, lipids, and selected vitamins and minerals, were analyzed using standard analytical procedures. Amino acid compositions were also determined by an amino acid analyzer. Nine-week-old mice were randomly divided into four groups to investigate the anti-obesity effects of Moringa. The first group was fed a basal diet, the second group a high-fat diet, and the others were fed a high-fat diet containing 0.1% Moringa leaf powder from each species. After seven weeks, serum indices related to lipid profiles from each mouse were analyzed. RESULTS: The present study revealed high protein (28–29%) and ash (7–11%) contents. Glutamic acid, aspartic acid, proline, and leucine were the most abundantly found amino acids in both species. The predominant minerals in the leaf powder were calcium (826–1,530 mg/100 g), potassium (794–904 mg/100 g), and magnesium (286-431 mg/100 g). Pyridoxine (475.06 mg/100 g) and vitamin E (34.2 mg/100 g) were found only in MS. Niacin was found only in MO at 32.21 mg/100 g, whereas ascorbic acid was found in both species (3.89 and 6.19 mg/100 g dry weight for MO and MS, respectively). The results of the animal study showed that mice on a high-fat diet containing 0.1% MO leaf powder alleviated the elevation of cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol induced by the high fat diet. MO was more effective than MS in preventing hypercholesterolemia and fat deposition. CONCLUSIONS: The findings in this work confirmed that Moringa leaves of both MO and MS possessed high nutritional value but MO was better at preventing the harmful effects of the high-fat diet than MS.