Nutrient Contents of Raw and Cooked Cowpea Leaves

SEEDS OF COWPEA (Vigna unguicullata) cultivar MM₄ obtained from Kenya were grown for their leaves as a vegetable. The mean crude protein contents of the leaves from the 1981 and 1982 seasons were 32.8 and 34.3% of total solids, respectively, and leaves were a particularly good source of minerals, including iron, calcium, phosphorus and zinc. Levels of vitamin C, total carotene, and free and total folacin were 410 mg, 57 mg, 334 meg and 2012 meg, respectively, per 100g of solids. Freshly harvested leaves cooked by a traditional Kenyan technique retained 88% of their crude protein and substantial quantities of minerals. Losses in vitamin C and free and total folacin were 87%, 49% and 66% while their recoveries in the cooking water were 5.6%, 20% and 12%, respectively. Carotene in the cooked leaf solids increased slightly. Comparisons with other leafy vegetables indicate good potential for processing.