Effect of Steam Blanching, Dehydration Temperature & Time, on the Sensory and Nutritional Properties of a Herbal Tea Developed from Moringa oleifera Leaves

Table 7

Proximate composition of unblanched and steam blanched M. oleifera leaves dried at 65°C.

Proximate composition (db)	Unblanched sample (563)	Steam blanched sample (706)
Moisture (%)	4.29^a ± 0.10	5.48^b ± 0.42
Ash (%)	10.66^b ± 0.02	6.74^a ± 0.04
Crude protein (%)	39.07^b ± 0.68	32.26^a ± 1.36
Crude fat (%)	6.58^a ± 0.27	7.83^b ± 0.65
Crude fiber (%)	8.03^b ± 0.03	7.05^a ± 0.02
Carbohydrates (%)	31.37^a ± 0.97	40.64^b ± 1.63
Calorie (%)	341.00^a ± 1.39	362.07^b ± 4.68

; mean ± SD. db = dry basis. Values in a row followed by different letters in superscript are significantly different .