Folic acid in Egyptian vegetables: The effect of drying method and storage on the folacin content of mulukhiyah (corchorus olitorius)

Folic acid deficiency results in megaloblastic anemia, which is a prevalent nutritional disorder in developing countries. Green vegetables are generally considered as good sources of folic acid. In this study, the folacin content of a popular Egyptian vegetable, mulukhiyah (Corchorus oliterius) was analyzed and found to be substantially higher than that of other folacin‐rich vegetables. The free folacin activity of the fresh mulukhiyah (containing 74.6 percent moisture) was 556 mcg and the total folacin activity, 800 meg per 100 g fresh weight. The corresponding values for the dry vegetable (containing 8.6 percent moisture) were 662 and 1132 meg per 100 g dry weight. The moisture loss and folacin retention in mulukhiyah under three drying conditions were compared. Freeze drying and tray drying were more efficient in water removal from the vegetable than room drying, but would require additional equipment and energy cost. The folacin retention resulted from tray drying, and freeze drying was only 7–10 percent higher than that attained in room drvine. Thus, room drying seems to be an economical and convenient method for home preservation of mulukhiyah in Egypt without significantly affecting the folacin content in the dried product. Dry mulukhiyah was stored for 48 weeks at room temperature under various packaging conditions. It was found that nitrogen packing and dark storage were equally effective in protecting folacin while a combination of both resulted in best folacin retention during storage.