Folic acid in Egyptian vegetables: The effect of drying method and storage on the folacin content of mulukhiyah (corchorus olitorius)

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Abstract
Folic acid deficiency in humans results in megaloblastic anemia, which is a prevalent nutritional disorder in developing countries. Green vegetables are generally considered as good sources of folic acid. The folacin content of a popular Egyptian vegetable, mulukhiyah (C. oliterius) was analyzed and was substantially higher than that of other folacin-rich vegetables. The free folacin activity of the fresh mulukhiyah (containing 74.6% moisture) was 556 .mu.g and the total folacin activity, 800 .mu.g/100 g fresh weight. The corresponding values for the dry vegetable (containing 8.6% moisture) were 662 and 1132 .mu.g/100 g dry weight. The moisture loss and folacin retention in mulukhiyah under 3 drying conditions were compared. Freeze drying and tray drying were more efficient in water removal from the vegetable than room drying, but would require additional equipment and energy cost. The folacin retention resulting from tray drying and freeze drying was only 7-10% higher than that attained in room drying. Room drying seems to be an economical and convenient method for home preservation of mulukhiyah in Egypt without significantly affecting the folacin content in the dried product. Dry mulukhiyah was stored for 48 wk at room temperature under various packaging conditions. Nitrogen packing and dark storage were equally effective in protecting folacin while a combination of both resulted in the best folacin retention during storage.

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