Proximate Analysis, Vitamins, and Mineral Compositions of Zingiber officinale, Ocimum gratissimum and their Herbal Blend

Abstract

The nutritional composition of the aqueous extract of the leaves of Ocimum gratissimum, Zingiber officinale roots and their mixture were evaluated by investigating their proximate composition, vitamin, and mineral composition following standard biochemical methods. Proximate analysis of the herbal blend revealed the percentage moisture, crude protein, crude fiber, crude fat, and ash, as 15.84%, 13.62%, 0.36%, 1.84%, 2.92%, respectively surpassing the content from individual extracts. However, the carbohydrate content and total energy ranked in descending order of magnitude; aqueous extract of ginger (76.30%; 350.78 kCal) > scent leaf (70.03%; 345.29 kCal) > ginger -scent leaf blend (65.41%; 332.66 kCal). The vitamin and mineral content in the herbal mixture investigated showed higher concentrations of Vitamins (A, B_I, B₂, B₃, C, E) and minerals followed the same pattern. Nevertheless, aqueous extract of ginger showed a higher content of calcium. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the nutritional composition of these popular culinary ingredients and highlight their potential health benefits.