Effect of drying type on the physicochemical and phytochemical properties of young and mature Moringa oleifera leaves

Biochemical differences in response to dehydration methods in Moringa oleifera leaves were studied in moringa young and mature leaves. Sun drying, oven drying and Shade-drying were applied to leaves samples. After drying, leaves were powdered and subjected to physicochemical and phytochemical analyses. The results showed a lower concentration of physicochemical components in shade-dried moringa leaves excepted moisture content. However, shade-dried M. oleifera leaves showed higher phytochemical components than sun and Oven-drying leaves without significant difference (p˂ 0.05) between young and mature leaves. Furthermore, shade-dried drying leaves had better antioxidant activity (IC50 = 0.072 mg / ml for mature leaves and IC50 = 0.049 mg / ml for young leaves) than sun and oven-dried leaves. The shade-dried technique would be therefore the most recommended for preserving physicochemical and phytochemical quality. However, the higher moisture content of shade dried leaves could be a source of micro-organism proliferation when the powders are stored.