Plant Foods for Human Nutrition 58: 1–7, 2003.

© 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.

Chemical composition of two varieties of sorrel

(Hibiscus sabdariffa L.), calyces and the drinks made
from them

N.M. NNAM and N.G. ONYEKE

Department of Home Science & Nutrition University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

Abstract. Red and yellow varieties of sorrel calyces and the drinks made from them were
examined for nutrient and antinutrient compositions. Fresh calyces from both varieties were
purchased, cleaned and dried. The dried calyces were divided into two portions each. One
portion from each variety was milled separately while the remaining portion of each was used
to prepare sorrel drinks. Standard assay techniques were used to evaluate the calyces and
the drinks made from them for nutrient and antinutrient compositions. Both varieties of the
calyces contained appreciable quantities of carbohydrate, iron, ascorbate and β carotene. The
yellow variety had higher protein (9.08%) and ascorbate (56.83 mg/100 g) than the red variety.
The calyces had traces of tannin, phytate and cyanide. The drink made with the red calyces
contained more total solids, total sugar and cyanide but lower protein and ascorbate than the
drink made with the yellow variety. The two varieties of sorrel calyces are promising sources
of iron (800.67–833.00 mg/100 g) and β carotene (281.28–285.29 RE/100 g).

Key words: Antinutrient, Nutrient, Sorrel calyces, Sorrel drink

Introduction

In Nigeria, a lot of underexploited plant foods with promising nutritional po-

tential exist. Sorrel (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) is one of the underexploited food
crops with nutritional and food industry processing potential [1]. The plant
is an annual herb of the malvaceae family which often survives in relatively
poor soils [2]. In Nigeria, the plant is widely grown in the northern part of
the country. Sorrel plants bear leaves, calyces and seeds which are edible and
have versatile uses [1]. The calyx covers the seed pod which encloses the
seed. The crop has an overall growing period of 4–6 months. The seed is
normally planted in April; flowering usually commences in late September or
early October. The calyces mature rapidly and are ready for picking within
15 days of blossoming [1]. Red, yellow, green and intermediate varieties of
the calyces have been observed in a number of West African countries [2].
The calyces are gathered for sale either fresh or dried. They are used whole
in preparing melon soup together with other soup ingredients. No meat is

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used in the dish and the calyces serve as a meat substitute for the poor masses
who consume them [1]. The calyces are used in the production of roselle
jam. Traditionally, the calyx has been chewed to alleviate thirst on long desert
trecks of Moslems. However, the pleasantly flavored beverage produced as an
infusion from the calyx has been widely appreciated. The drink is consumed
hot or cold in different parts of the world. In Nigeria, the drink is gaining
popularity and is used for refreshment and entertainment in home and public
gatherings [3]. Sorrel drink is sold as a local drink. Despite the popularity
of the drink, there is little or no information on the nutrient and possible
antinutrient contents of the drink and its raw material, the calyx. This study
examined two varieties of the calyces (red and yellow) and the drinks made
from them for nutrient and antinutrient compositions.

Materials and methods

Preparation of materials

Sorrel (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) calyx was used for the study. Two hundred
grams of fresh calyces from each variety (red and yellow) were purchased
from the Kaduna local market in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The two varieties
of the calyces were washed separately with deionized water in a ratio of 1:3
(w/v) calyx to water. The cleaned calyces were then dried separately in hot
air oven (Model No 320, Gallenkamp, England) at 55 ◦ C for 12 h. The dried
calyces of both varieties were divided into two portions of one hundred grams
each. One portion of each variety was milled in a laboratory hammermill
(Model ED-5, Thomas Wiley, England) to a fine flour (1 mm mesh). The
flours were kept separately in Kilner jars at room temperature (28 ± 2 ◦ C) for
chemical analyses. The other portion of each variety was used for preparation
of sorrel drink.

Preparation of sorrel drinks

Twenty grams of sorrel calyces from each variety were soaked separately in
3 liters of cold deionized water for 5 hours at an average room temperature
of 28 ± 2 ◦ C. The juice was extracted by decanting the soaking water. One
gram each of ground ginger and garlic were added to the juice. The product
was heated in a thermostatically controlled water bath (Thermostirrer 95,
Gallenkamp, England) at 75 ◦ C for ten minutes. The samples were filtered
separately with double layer cheese cloth to obtain a clear juice. Each drink
was sweetened with five grams of sugar and kept separately in Kilner jars at
room temperature (28 ± 2 ◦ C) for chemical analyses.

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Table 1. Proximate composition of red and yellow ca-
lyces of sorrel (dry weight bases)

Nutrient
(100 g sample) 1 DRC 2 DYC

Crude protein (%) 6.40 ± 0.01b 9.08 ± 0.04a

Carbohydrate (%) 79.25 ± 0.02a 76.96 ± 0.01b
Fat (%) 5.13 ± 0.01a 4.92 ± 0.02b
Crude Fiber (%) 2.70 ± 0.01a 2.95 ± 0.01a
Ash (%) 6.52 ± 0.03a 6.08 ± 0.03b
Means not followed by the same letters in the same row
were significantly (p < 0.05) different.
1 Dry red calyx.
2 Dry yellow calyx.

Chemical analyses

Proximate, mineral and vitamin compositions of the calyces (yellow and red)
were analyzed according to the standard procedures of AOAC [4] (Method
Nos. 981.10, 900.02, 985.14, 984.27, 984.14, 960.39, 971.30). Tannin was
determined by the vanillin method [5]. Phytate was estimated by a photomet-
ric method used by Latta and Eskin [6]. Cyanide was determined by the rapid
enzymatic assay described by Ikediobi et al. [7]. Total soluble solids and total
acidity of the drinks were estimated as described by Pearson [8] while pH was
analyzed using AOAC Method No. 947–05 [4]. Total sugar was determined
by the sulphuric-phenol method of Dubois et al. [9].

Statistical analysis

A two-tail group t-test was used to determine differences between the two
varieties of calyces and the drinks made from them [10]. Significance was
accepted at p ≤ 0.05.

Results and discussion

The proximate composition of the red and yellow calyces on dry weight
bases are shown in Table 1. Both varieties contained fair quantities of protein
(6.04–9.08%). However, the yellow variety contained more (p < 0.05) pro-
tein (9.08%) than the red (6.04%). This could be attributed to compositional
difference in the varieties. Osagie and Onigbinde [11] noted that variety is
a significant factor that affects the nutrient and antinutritional components

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Table 2. Selected mineral and vitamin compositions of red
and yellow sorrel calyces (dry weight bases)

Nutrient
(100 g sample) 1 DRC 2 DYC

Calcium (mg) 3.00 ± 0.01a 3.00 ± 0.01a

Magnesium (mg) 1.00 ± 0.06a 1.07 ± 0.03a
Iron (mg) 833.00 ± 0.64a 800.67 ± 0.24a
Phosphorus (mg) 22.00 ± 0.21a 23.33 ± 0.09a
Sodium (mg) 15.33 ± 0.02a 16.01 ± 0.02a
Zinc (mg) 1.17 ± 0.04a 1.37 ± 0.02a
Copper (mg) 0.70 ± 0.06a 0.78 ± 0.01a
β Carotene (RE) 285.29 ± 2.77a 281.28 ± 2.56a
Thiamin (mg) 24.67 ± 0.06b Tracea
Riboflavin 0.95 ± 0.01a 0.96 ± 0.01a
Ascorbic acid (mg) 53.00 ± 0.04b 56.83 ± 0.07a
Means not followed by the same letters in the same row were
significantly (p < 0.05) different.
1 Dry red calyx.
2 Dry yellow calyx.

of plant foods. The carbohydrate (CHO) levels differed with the red variety
containing more (p < 0.05) CHO (79.25%) than the yellow (76.97%). Fat
followed the same trend as CHO. The red variety contained more (p < 0.05)
fat (5.13%) than the yellow (4.92%). Both varieties of the calyx had compar-
able (p > 0.05) crude fiber levels. The ash level was higher (p < 0.05) in the
red variety than in the yellow. However, both varieties contained significant
levels of ash (6.08–6.52%), an indication of high mineral levels.
The mineral and vitamin compositions of the red and yellow calyces on
dry weight bases are presented in Table 2. The two varieties of the calyces
had similar (p > 0.05) levels of the minerals tested. The iron (Fe) levels of
the calyces were high (800.67–833.00 mg/100 g). The calyces are promising
sources of Fe. The calyces contained modest levels of phosphorus (P) (22.00–
23.33 mg/100 g) and sodium (Na) (15.33–16.01 mg/100 g). The calcium (Ca),
magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) levels of the calyces were low.
The two varieties of the calyces contained appreciable quantities of β
carotene (281.28–285.29 RE/100 g). Traces of thiamin were observed in the
yellow variety while a fair quantity was detected in the red variety (24.67
mg/100 g). The variation may have been due to the compositional differences
of the varieties. Both varieties contained similar (p > 0.05) low levels of ribo-
flavin (0.95–0.96 mg/100 g). The yellow variety contained more (p < 0.05)

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Table 3. Antinutrient composition of red and
yellow sorrel calyces on dry weight bases

Nutrient (100 g sample) 1 DRC 2 DYC

Phytate (mg) trace trace

Tannin (mg) trace trace
Cyanide (mg) trace trace
1 Dry red calyx.
2 Dry yellow calyx.

Table 4. Nutrient composition of the drinks from red and yellow sorrel
calyces

Nutrient (100 ml sample) 1 DRC 2 DYC

Total acidity (%) (as malic acid) 0.17 ± 0.01a 0.16 ± 0.02a
pH 4.10 ± 0.00a 3.60 ± 0.00b
Total soluble solids (%) 46.63 ± 0.09a 19.79 ± 0.06b
Total sugar (glucose) (%) 18.23 ± 0.07a 17.80 ± 0.09a
Ash (%) 0.43 ± 0.01a 0.39 ± 0.01a
Protein (%) 2.83 ± 0.03b 3.38 ± 0.03a
Ascorbic acid (mg) 4.38 ± 0.01b 5.33 ± 0.03a
Means not followed by the same letters in the same row were signific-
antly (p < 0.05) different.
1 Drink from red calyx = DRC.
2 Drink from yellow calyx = DYC.

ascorbate than the red. However, both varieties contained reasonable quant-
ities of ascorbate (53.00–56.83 mg/100 g). The high ascorbate level was
expected since the sorrel calyx is the leafy part of the flower which produces
the fruit. Many leafy vegetables and fruits are rich in ascorbate [2, 12].
The antinutrient compositions of red and yellow calyces on dry weight
bases are shown in Table 3. All the samples had traces of the antinutrients
(phytate, tannin and cyanide). The traces of the antinutrients observed in
both varieties make for better availability and utilization of nutrients. Tannins
are known to affect protein quality by decreasing digestibility while phytate
interferes with mineral availability [13].
Table 4 contains the nutrient composition of the drinks made with red
and yellow sorrel calyces. The drinks had similar (p > 0.05) total acidity (as
malic acid), total sugar (glucose) and ash. The drink made with the red calyces
had higher (p < 0.05) pH and total soluble solids but lower (p < 0.05)
protein and ascorbic acid than the sample made with yellow calyces.

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Table 5. Antinutrient composition of the drinks from red and
yellow sorrel calyces

Antinutrient (100 ml sample) 1 DRC 2 DYC

Phytate (mg) 0.99 ± 0.02b 1.37 ± 0.06a

Tannin (mg) 0.53 ± 0.01a 0.65 ± 0.01a
Cyanide (mg) 3.67 ± 0.03 trace
Means not followed by the same letters in the same row were sig-
nificantly (p < 0.05) different.
1 Drink from red calyx = DRC.
2 Drink from yellow calyx = DYC.

Table 5 data is a summary of the antinutrient composition of the drinks

made with red and yellow sorrel calyces. The drink made with the yellow
sorrel calyces contained higher (p < 0.05) levels of phytate (1.37 mg/100
ml) than the sample from the red calyces (0.99 mg/100 ml). The tannin levels
in the drinks made from both varieties were similar (p > 0.05). Cyanide was
only detected in the drink made with the red calyces (3.67 mg/100 ml).
The results showed that red and yellow sorrel calyces contained appre-
ciable quantity of CHO, Fe, ascorbate and β carotene. The yellow variety
had higher protein (9.08%) and ascorbate (56.83 mg/100g) than the red. Both
varieties of the calyces had similar (p > 0.05) levels of the minerals and
vitamins tested, except thiamin and ascorbate. The calyces had only traces of
the antinutrients (tannin, phytate and cyanide). The drinks made with the red
calyces had higher total soluble solids, total sugar and ash but lower levels
of protein and ascorbate. The red and yellow sorrel calyces are promising
sources of nutrients, particularly the micronutrients. Increased use of the ca-
lyces could play a vital role in intervention program for elimination of vitamin
A deficiency (VAD) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) which are prevalent in
Africa, particularly in Nigeria.

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