Impact of desiccation methods on phytochemical composition and profiling in diverse solvent extracts of leaves of Moringa oleifera Lam. var. PKM 1

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a common green leafy vegetable used to make traditional soups and stews.The leaves are usually dried and grained into a powder for ease of handling and storage, just as with most green leafy seasonal vegetables.PKM 1 was derived from M. oleifera and it is grown for its heavy biomass and tender leaves.Characteristic features of this variety include wide and dark green leaves, long and tender pods, a bushy habit and rapid growth after cropping.This gives the largest yields at the shortest period and the length of each pod is 45-75 cm.Each plant yields 300-400 pods.The effects of drying on the healthpromoting effects of the foliage have not yet been fully researched, despite the popularity of this processing method.Therefore, the purpose of this research was to investigate how the biological activities and phytoconstituent composition of Moringa were affected by different drying techniques, including solar cabinet drying, open sun drying, solar tunnel drying and HPD (heat pump drying).The study found that different drying techniques had a significant impact on the leaf's phytoconstituents (flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, saponins, cardiac glycosides and tannins).The most promising technique for preserving the nutraceutical properties of Moringa leaves was heat pump drying.However, this study shows that the optimal order of drying processes for practical application is heat pump drying, followed by solar cabinet drying, solar tunnel drying, and sun drying.This order ensures optimal preservation of phytoconstituents and potential biological activity of the leaf.The study indicates that the best method to preserve the nutraceutical properties of Moringa leaves is by using heat pump drying, followed by extraction with methanol solvent.This method shows great potential for future commercial exploitation.