Nutritional Composition of the Leaf and Bark of Bridelia Ferruginea Benth

The general objective of this study is to investigate the nutritional composition of the leaf and bark of igi ira (Bridelia ferruginea) in Ekiti State. The research was carried out in Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State. The leaf and bark of Bridelia ferruginea were collected from an experimental farm from the Faculty of Agricultural Science Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti and was identified by a curator at herbarium of the department of Plant Science and Biotechnology. The dried leaves were ground into powder using a mechanical grinder and stored in airtight containers and were sent to Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State for proximte analysis. The result indicated that there was significant difference (P < 0.05) on the level of moisture between the leaves and bark. The highest mean moisture (13.20 %) was obtained on the leaf while the bark is with the lowest mean moisture (13.07%). In case of the ash content, there was also significant difference (P < 0.05) in the bark (1.17 %) and the leaf (2.16 %). The highest mean fat content was found in the leaf (1.38 %) while bark is with the lowest (0.06 %) level of Fat content. The highest mean crude protein was found in the leaf (10.62 %) while bark is with the lowest (7.85 %) level of crude protein. The highest mean fibre content was found in the leaf (28.16 %) while bark is with the lowest (19.61 %) level of fibre content. The highest mean carbohydrate content was found in the bark (57.06 %) while leaf is with the lowest (45.06 %) level of carbohydrate content. In conclusion, this study has revealed that the Bridelia ferruginea bark and leaf consumed in Ekiti State and can contribute useful amount of nutrients to human diet.