Summary: | This study evaluated the impact of the level of supplementation (1.5, 3.0 and 4.5%) of <i>Moringa oleifera</i> leaves on the nutritional (proximate, mineral and vitamin contents) and antioxidant capacities of smoothies made from a blend of pineapple, banana and apple. The results obtained were moisture (49.24⁻78.62%), total ash (1.01⁻9.71), crude fiber (5.14⁻9.39%), crude fat (0.72⁻1.86%), crude protein (5.47⁻19.37%) and carbohydrate (3.65⁻16.99%). Calcium (12.03⁻15.53) and potassium (17.22⁻25.38) were the predominant mineral elements when compared to magnesium (1.51⁻3.05) mg/L. The vitamin contents were in the ranges 2.5⁻10.8 and 0.15⁻0.93 mg/L for vitamins C and E, respectively. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were in the ranges 4.68⁻6.18 mg/mL and 0.01⁻0.14 mg/mL, respectively. The radical scavenging abilities (DPPH) of the samples ranged between 16.05% and 88.77%, while the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) ranged between 0.38 and 7.36 mg/mL. The brix values showed high sugar contents (15⁻18%) while the pH results showed that the sample was almost neutral at a range between 6.3 and 6.5. The overall quality (sensory) acceptability of the different quality parameters evaluated indicated that the control sample was more preferred. While supplementation with <i>M. oleifera</i> leaves significantly affected the sensory parameters, its addition nevertheless offers a potential avenue to obtain additional nutrients besides its improved antioxidative properties.
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