Phytochemical and proximate composition of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) fruit from Nsukka, Nigeria

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is very common, cultivated throughout the world and often eaten as a raw vegetable without cooking.In this study, the phytochemical and proximate compositions of cucumber were investigated.Quantitative phytochemical analysis of the homogenate of C. sativus fruit showed that reducing sugars (574.36 ± 3.88 mg/g) was highest amount when compared to other phytochemicals, alkaloids (2.22 ± 0.96 mg/g) and flavonoids (2.14 ± 0.56 mg/g) were moderately present, while cyanogenic glycoside (0.21 ± 0.13 mg/g) was the lowest in quantity.Proximate analysis showed that C. sativus fruit contained the following -fibre (1.02 ± 0.01%), moisture (94.2 ± 0.08%), protein (3.01 ± 0.07%), lipid (0.55 ± 0.13%), carbohydrate (0.28 ± 0.09%) and ash (0.94 ± 0.24%) contents.