Determination of iron content in selected indigenous green leafy vegetables in Baraton, Kenya.

Abstract

A study was done to determine the level of iron in selected indigenous vegetables using UV-vis spectrophotometric method. The four indigenous vegetables that was frequently consumed by Baraton families were; amaranths, pumpkin leaves, spider plant, and bacella alba, were selected for the study. Absorbance measurement was done on the ash samples of cooked and uncooked vegetables using UV-Vis spectrophotometer at 458 nm. The results showed among the uncooked vegetables, the iron concentration ranged from 0.081 to 0.23 ppm with pumpkin leaves and baccela alba recording the lowest and highest level respectively. The cooked vegetables had Fe levels ranging for 0.041 ppm to 0.43 ppm with pumpkin leaves and amaranths having lowest and highest Fe levels respectively. One sample t-test analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the Fe levels in the cooked and uncooked vegetables P>0.05. The findings showed that the sampled vegetables are a source of iron in diet.