A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE PROXIMATE, ELEMENTAL NUTRIENT, FT-IR SPECTROSCOPIC OF Grewia lasiocarpa E.Mey. ex Harv.:INDIGENOUS SOUTHERN AFRICAN PLANT

The crude powder of the leaves, and stembark of Grewia lasiocarpa E.Mey. ex Harv, commonly known as forest raisins were analysed for proximate chemical composition (% ash, % carbohydrate, % moisture, % lipid, % total protein) using the methods of Association of Official analytical chemist (AOAC), and the energy (Kcal) was derived. An analytical comparison of the Certified Reference Material (CRM) White Clover (BCR 402), gave a significant correlation, between the certified values of the analyte elements (uncertainty-mg/kg), and the data obtained using Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) microscopy. A Thermo Scientific Spectrophotometer system was employed to conduct the FT-IR; to detect the characteristic peak values, and their functional groups.

The proximate composition of the % ash, % carbohydrate, % moisture, % lipid, % total protein (Leaves/stembark) were 34.00%/25.38%, 44.56%/62.33%, 6.84%/6.04%, 2.67%/2.00%, 11.93%/4.25%; while the derived energy values were 249.99Kcal/284.32Kcal respectively. The EDXRF analysis revealed the presence of elements including the essential elements such as Calcium (Ca), Iron (Fe), Selenium (Se), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Chromium (Cr) in various proportions, dominant characteristics peak values in the FT-IR investigation, confirming the presence of aromatic compounds, carbonyl compounds, halogens, and other functional groups, in the crude powder of G. lasiocarpa E. leaves, and stembark.

The results obtained validate the potential that G. lasiocarpa is a plant with appreciable medicinal properties, although documentation on its ethnobotany is relatively limited.