PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF FLUTED PUMPKINLEAVES (TELFAIRA OCCIDENTALIS)
ABSTRACT
Fluted pumpkin leaves (Telfaira occidentalis) is a well known vegetable used by the Western Ngerian and generally called “ugu” in igbo land. This study was carried out to qualitatively determine the presence of phytochemicals in it. This study was carried out using three different solvents namely water, aqueous ethanol and ethyl acetate. The test was carried out after 48hours to allow proper extraction of the phytochemicals namely saponins, tannins, alkaloids and slight trace of flavonoids. The observation of the constituent phytochemicals in two out of the three solvents indicated strongly the presence of that particular constituent. The study revealed the strong presence of saponin, tannin and alkaloids and slight presence of flavonoid. Hence these result suggest the regular consumption of telfaira Occidentalis leaves to maintain good health conditions.
TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER ONE
1.0    INTRODUCTION                        
1.1    AIMS OF STUDY                    
1.2    STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS            
1.3    SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROBLEMS        
1.4    LIMITATION OF THE STUDY            
CHAPTER TWO
2.0    LITERATURE REVIEW                    
2.0.1    GENERAL HEALTH BENEFITS DERIVED FROM TELFAIRA OCIDENTALIS LEAVES    
2.0.2    ANTIOXIDANT AND FREE RADICALS SCAVENGING PROPERTY                
2.1    TYPES OF VEGETABLE AND USES        
2.2    NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF FLUTED PUMPKIN LEAVES                                
2.3    PHYTOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF FLUTED PUMPKIN LEAVES                        
2.3.1        ALKALOIDS                
2.3.2        FLAVONOID                        
2.3.3        SAPONIN                            
2.3.4        TANNINS                            
2.3.5        GLYCOSIDES                        
CHAPTER THREE
3.0    MATERIALS AND METHOD                
3.1    EQUIPMENTS/APPARATUS            
3.2    METHODOLOGY
3.2.1        STERILIZATION OF GLASS WARES    
3.2.2    SAMPLE COLLECTION/PLANT MATERIALS                    
3.2.3        PREPARATION OF SAMPLES        
3.2.4        EXTRACTION TECHNIQUES        
3.2.5        DISTILLED WATER EXTRACTION    
3.2.6        ETHANOLIC EXTACTION                
3.2.7    QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS ON THE FLUTED PUMPKIN LEAVES        
3.2.8            ETHYL ACCETATE EXTRACTION    
3.3.1        DETERMINATION OF ALKALOIDS    
3.3.2        DETERMINATION OF SAPONINS                
3.3.3        DETERMINATION OF TANNINS         
3.3.4        DETERMINATION OF FLAVONOID    
3.3.3            DETERMINATION OF GLYCOSIDES    
CHAPTER FOUR
4    RESULTS                                
CHAPTER FIVE
5    DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION                        
5.3    DISCUSSION                        
5.4    CONCLUSION                        
5.5    RECOMMENDATION                    
REFERENCES                        
APPENDIX                        
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1:     NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF
    FLUTED PUMPKIN AND SOME
    COMMON NIGERIAN FOOD                                
TABLE 2:    RESULT OF THE PHYTO-
    CHYEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF
    WATER, ETHANOL, ETHYL
    ACCETATE EXTRACTS OF
    TELFAIRA OCCIDENTALIS            
CHAPTER ONE
1.0    INTRODUCTION
Burton et al (2005) explained that vegetables are any kind of plant product. They refer to the fresh edible portion of herbaceous plant roots, stems, leaves or fruits. Vegetable are mostly annual crops belonging to the group of plants called horticultural crops which are diverse in nature. Vegetable can be grouped into leafy and fruity vegetables depending on the nature of their consumable products or parts. Typical examples of fruits vegetables are those that produce fruit like okro, tomatoes, garden egg while that of the leafy vegetables are lettuce, spinach, fluted pumpkin and pumkin.
Francis et al, (2001) points out that fluted pumpkin (Telfaira occidentalis) seeds are consumed for their nutritional and medicinal benefits.
Mathew et al (2001) highlighted that fluted pumpkin is one of the commonest green vegetable grown widely in the Southern States of Nigeria, Ghana and Sierraleone, which the seed is also consumed by the above countries. It is a perennial crop with a woody chamber and fine deeply divided leaves and the seeds are small, many are dark red in colour. The male and female flowers are produced in cluster on separate plants, the male flowers is usually of thin stock producing very early white flowers with reddish purple center and the seed is usually smaller than the seed of the female one.
In Southern Nigeria because of their pleasant taste, the leaves is generally called “Uju”.  The seed is very palatable and is roasted before eating. (Ladeji et al, 2008) points out that fluted pumpkin are considered as good source of vitamins, minerals such as copper and has a high concentration of iron and is used by anaemic patients to build up the blood cells, whereas pumpkin seeds either fresh or dry is used as medicine for kidney support, the seeds oil is used to treat burns and wounds, when it is mixed with menomines and water they are used to support urinary system (Gibbons et al, 2007).
Modern folk healers believe the pumpkin to be beneficial in ridding the body of intestinal worms (Orsalek et al, 2000).The word pumpkin originated from the word peptone, which is Greek for “large melon”. The French adopted the word to pompon which the British changed to pumpion and later America colonists changed that to the word we use today, “pumpkin”. The origin of pumpkin is not definitely known although they are thought to have originated in North America. The oldest evidence, pumpkin related seeds dating between 7000 and 5500 B.C, were found in Merico. Pumpkin are a squash-like fruit that range in size from less 1 pound (0.45 kilograms) to over 1,000 pounds (453.59 kilograms). They belong to the genus cucurbita and the family cucurbitaceae. Pumpkin also a gourd – like squash (Egbekun et al 2008).
1.1    AIMS OF THE STUDY
I.    To ascertain the phytochemical properties of fluted pumpkin.
II.    To determine the medicinal activities involved.
1.2    STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Annous et al, (2005) explain that medicinal plant has lost its value in our society, due to lack of experts who could have worked hard to extract the active ingredient from these plants.
1.3    SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Fluted pumpkin vegetables contain phytochemical properties, which are of medicinal important to human health. The results of this work will determine if vegetable fluted pumpkin contain phytochemical    properties.
1.4    LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This work is limited at the phytochemical analysis of fluted pumpkin only. Another constraint on this work was poor financial status on my part which was a hindrance during the course of this project work. Moreover, the cost of materials for the project work was high limiting the number of samples for the project work was limited to only phytochemicals.