PROXIMATE ANALYSIS AND PHYTOCHEMICAL EVALUATION OF SOME COMMONLY USED FOOD SPICES IN SOUTH-EAST NIGERIA

Spices and herbs are potent sources of natural antioxidants. The proximate composition and phytochemical constituents of some commonly used food spices in South-East Nigeria were analyzed. The result showed that Tetrapleura tetraptera has the highest percentage per weight ash followed by Xylopia aethopica, Monodora myristica, Syzygium aromaticum, Chrysobal anusicaco and Afromo mumdanielli (9.42, 6.97,6.49,5.94, 5.89 and 3.35%) respectively. The percentage crude protein contents are 7.80, 13.89, 21.67, 11.65, 6.78 and 10.94 respectively. The percentage crude fibre contents are 18.56, 9.28,7.38, 9.06, 11.24 and 13.00 respectively. The percentage carbohydrate contents are 54.66, 52.94, 41.02, 54.26, 61.36 and 53.48 respectively, while fat moisture contents are 4.45, 7.81, 13.24, 9.21, 4.79, 7.16 and 5.11, 9.59, 9.72, 9.88, 9.94, 11.63 respectively. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of Flavonoids, anthraquinones, saponin, phenol, tannin, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides and terpennoids in all the tested spices, with the exception of anthraquinone which was not detected in Afromo mumdanielli. This is an indication that spices add nutritional and ethno-medicinal values to the diet