Enhancement of polyphenols and haematological profile of rats fed withtraditional African soups

Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and multicultural country where several traditional soups are indigenous to the various social groups. When soups are prepared with the right spices, it can be truly healthy with multiple biochemical/nutritional benefits. The objective of the study is to determine some blood parameters, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), polyphenols and flavonoid content of rats fed with indigenous soups in Delta State, Nigeria. A total of twenty-five mature male albino Wistar rats were divided into five groups of five rats each. Group 1 rats served as control, rats in Group 2 were given Igbagba soup (okro pepper soup), rats in Group 3 were administered Oghwo ameidi (palm nut soup; soup made from African palm fruit; Elaeis guineensis). Group 4 and Group 5 rats were given Offe ikere (pepper soup) and aqueous tween 80 respectively. The rats in each group were allowed free access to clean drinking water and feed for 28 days experimental period. The results indicated that rats given soup extracts (Group 2, 3 and 4) their serum total polyphenol content was 20.75, 12.24 and 9.83 mg/g, respectively, while the control value was 2.81 mg/g. Significant increases in TIBC, total flavonoids, packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb), red blood cells (RBC), and white blood cells (WBC), were observed in rats given the soup extracts when compared with control. The study has shown that African indigenous soups may improve haematological indices owing to their polyphenol and flavonoids content.