Determination of alkaloids and oxalates in some selected food samples in Nigeria

The amount of alkaloids and oxalates present in some selected Nigerian food samples were determined. The samples include Solanum tuberosum L., Ipomea batatas L., Discorea alta, Discorea rotundata, Colocasia esculents L., Triticum vulgare, Soja hispida and Amarathus sp. The percentage alkaloids present in the samples ranged from 11.4 - 29.5% while that of oxalates range from 20 - 92 mg per 100 g of fresh weight sample. Sol. tuberosum L. has the highest alkaloid content while Amarathus sp. has the highest oxalate content. There is a positive correlation between the alkaloid content and oxalate content in the food samples analyzed.