Vegetables are highly consumed in all the states across Northern Nigeria where they constitute a major source of nutritious food. However, their assessment as food, which is based on their chemical analysis, has not been adequately studied and documented in the areas. Standard procedures were used to determine the proximate and chemical composition of all vegetable species analysed. Atomic absorption and flame spectrophotometer test was used to determine the mineral composition. The results were compared using an analysis of variance test. There were significant differences in the nutritive values of the various vegetables (p>0.05) studied. Despite differences in the chemical composition of the vegetable species, the overall nutritional potential of the whole vegetable species was quite good. The results of the analysis showed high significant amounts of protein, and minerals, ranging from 1.24 to 48.44 mg/g and 0.09 to 57.54 mg/g for macro and micro elements respectively. Furthermore, crude fibre ranged between 3.32 to 19.76% and carbohydrate ranged from 20.54 to 64.78%, both of which were found to be relatively high. All species were moderate in fat content, with a range of 1.11 to 8.43%. Although, Pb and Cd were detected in some of the species of the vegetables. However, the results indicated that the studied vegetables can be suggested for human consumption.
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