The biochemical composition of the leaves and seeds meals ofmoringaspecies as non-conventional sources of nutrients

Some physicochemical properties of the oil, crude protein, sugars, and amino acids of the leaves and seed meals of two Moringa species were determined and compared using Student's T-test. The oil properties and fatty acid composition were significantly (at either p ≤ .01 or p ≤ .05) varied between the two species. The sterols and tocopherols contents of the species oil differed significantly. Most of the sterols were not detected in Moringa oleifera oil. The sugars contents were significantly different between the two species. The protein contents of M. oleifera leaves and seed meals were significantly higher than those of Moringa peregrina. Compared with M. peregrina, the M. oleifera leaves and seed meals had significantly higher amounts of amino acids. The most concentrated amino acids in the M. oleifera leaves and seed meals were glutamic acid, aspartic acid and leucine whereas those in M. peregrina were threonine, serine, and proline. Practical applications Moringa seed kernels contain a significant amount of oil. Moringa leaves are a good human food and animal feed. Various parts of Moringa oleifera are incorporated into the traditional food of humans. The leaves of Moringa are a good source of protein, vitamin A, B, and C. The leaf of M. oleifera contains crude protein up to 25%. In many tropical and subtropical countries, various parts of M. oleifera (leaves, fruits, immature pods, and flowers) are incorporated into the traditional food of humans.