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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 May 1.
Published in final edited form as: Ecol Food Nutr. 2009 May 1;48(3):212–225. doi: 10.1080/03670240902794598

Table 1.

Table of Moringa oleifera leaf nutrient composition and nutrient RDAs* (Trees for Life 2005, The National Academies Press 2002, 2004, 2005)

Fresh leaves a
(value/100g edible portion)
Dried leaves b
(value/24g [≈3tbsp] edible
portion)
RDA for healthy
children age 1-8
years old c
Calories 92 cal 49 cal
Macronutrients
Protein 6.70 g 6.5 g 13-19g/day
Fat 1.70 g 0.55 g 30-40 g/day
Carbohydrates 12.5 g 9.2 g 130 g/day
Micronutrients
Carotene (Vitamin A) 6.78 mg 4.54 mg 300-400 μg/day
Thiamin (B1) 0.06 mg 0.63 mg .5-.6 mg/day
Riboflavin (B2) 0.05 mg 4.92 mg .5-.6 mg/day
Niacin (B3) 0.8 mg 1.97 mg 6-8 mg/day
Vitamin C 220 mg 4.15 mg 15-25 mg/day
Calcium 440 mg 480.72 mg 500-800 mg/day**
Copper 0.07 mg 0.14 mg 340-440 mg/day
Fiber 0.90 g 4.61 g 19-25 g/day**
Iron 0.85 mg 6.77 mg 7-10 mg/day
Magnesium 42 mg 88.32 mg 80-130 mg/day
Phosphorus 70 mg 48.96 mg 460-500 mg/day
Potassium .26 g 0.32 g 3.0-3.8 g/day**
Zinc 0.16 mg .79 mg 3-5 mg/day
Essential Amino
Acids 7
Histidine 149.8 mg 147.12 mg 8 mg/g protein
Isoleucine 299.6 mg 198 mg 25 mg/g protein
Leucine 492.2 mg 468 mg 55 mg/g protein
Lysine 342.4 mg 318 mg 51 mg/g protein
Methionine + Cysteine 117.7 mg 84 mg 25 mg/g protein
Phenylalanine Tyrosine 310.3 mg 333.12 mg 47 mg/g protein
Threonine 117.7 mg 285.12 mg 27 mg/g protein
Tryptophan 107 mg 102 mg 7 mg/g protein
Valine 374.5 mg 255.12 mg 32 mg/g protein
a

Trees for Life (2005) reported M. oleifera fresh leaf content from Gopalan et al. (1971).

b

Trees for Life (2005) reported M. oleifera dried leaf nutrient content from Fuglie (2001).

c

Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) values are given as an estimate of what an individual’s recommended intake should be. For the purpose of this paper, these values should be interpreted as a general comparison of leaf content to what an average healthy child should intake. Source: Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences Dietary Reference Intake database (2002)

7

Gopalan et al. (1971) originally expressed amino acid content per g N, and have been converted to mg per 100g leaves

*

Leaf nutrient composition will vary depending on the geographic region the leaves are sampled from and the type of analysis used. This table acts to give a general idea of the nutrient content of the leaves.

**

Represents Adequate Intake (AI) for an individual