Nutritional Value of the Concoction of Sauropusandrogynus, Morindacitrofolia, Clitoriaternatea, Curcuma zanthorrhiza and Curcuma longa Used for Herbs Rice

Abstract

Old folks especially in Kelantan, Malaysia like to consume specially prepared herbal rice or what is gastronomically known as “Nasi Kerabu”. In this preparation, white rice is soaked with the concoction of some local herbal plants for a few minutes and cooked without having the knowledge of the nutritional values of the herbal plants used. Without knowing the nutritional contents of the herbal plants used may lead to nutrient imbalance in the body and this was believed to be the root of other illnesses. So, the study was carried out with the objective of identifying the nutritional values of the concoction of Sauropus androgynus, Morinda citrofolia, Clitoria ternatea, Curcuma zanthorrhiza and Curcuma longa. The methods used for sample analysis and extraction were simple water extraction to extract plants sample, Nitric Acid Digestion to digest extracted samples, extraction procedure which was published by Behr Labor-Technik to analyze the fat content and sample analysis using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The results shows that, concoction of 20 ml of Sauropus androgynus, Morinda citrofolia, Clitoria ternatea, Curcuma zanthorrhiza and Curcuma longa consists of 0.2 g of fat, 2 mg of Calcium, 5 mg of Magnesium, 50 mg of Potassium and 3 mg of Sodium. The fat, macronutrients (potassium and sodium) and minerals (calcium and magnesium) in the concoction are considered to be sufficient to meet the requirements of Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) used by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) especially when cooked with white rice.