Nutritional Quality of Solanum nigrum L. Leaves during Traditional Boiling

Background and objectives: Green vegetables are considered an important source of some nutritionally constituents that have health benefits. Generally, food composition databases related to raw foods are available, but data on cooked foods in Cote d’Ivoire are still lacking. The current study aimed to evaluate antioxidant compounds, Fatty acids and determine nutritional profile using the LIM and SAIN system of Solanum nigrum leaves before and after boiling. Materials and Methods: The leaves were subjected to boiling in cooker for 10, 15 and 20 min. Fatty acids and carotenoids and were determined according to standard methods for nutritional guidelines. Results The polyunsaturated, unsaturated fatty, omega-6 and omega-3, were investigated and the results obtained were as follow: (880.52 ± 0.06 - 3634.32 ± 3.20 mg /100g), (1047.03±0.63-2466.76 ± 0.48 mg/ 100g), (177.96 ± 0.33 - 1415.42 ± 0.31 mg/100 g), (459.21 ± 0.31-969.29± 0.05 mg/100g). The Carotenoids, β-Carotene and lycopene contents were high with remarkable amount (65.70 ± 0.12 - 37.38 ±0.03 mg / 100g), (17.65 ± 0.12 - 26.37 ±0.31 mg / 100g) and (1.64 ± 0.03 - 6.33 ± 0.01 mg / 100g). All samples have score SAIN > 5 and LIM score <7.5, profile recommended for health. Conclusion: These results revealed that Solanum nigrum leaves was important source of some nutritionally constituent. However, longer time of boiling (higher than 10 min) caused negative impacts by reducing nutritive compounds. It suggested that the recommended time for domestic cooking must be less than 10 min for the studied leafy vegetables in order to contribute efficiently to the nutritional requirement and to the food security of Ivorian population.