THE POTENTIAL OF MORINGA OLEIFERA FOR AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL USES

It is now cultivated throughout the Middle East, and in almost the whole tropical belt. It was introduced in Eastern Africa from India at the beginning of 20 th century. In Nicaragua the Marango (local name for Moringa oleifera) was introduced in the 1920s as an ornamental plant and for use as a live fence. The tree grows best and is most commonly found in the Pacific part of Nicaragua but can be found in forest inventories in every part of the country. As a non-cultivated plant it is known for its resistance to drought and diseases. Because this tree has so many potential uses, we have been conducting an extensive research program on it over the last 10 years with the financial assistance of the Austrian government and University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart. The plant possesses many valuable properties which make it of great scientific interest. These include the high protein content of the leaves twigs and stems, the high protein and oil contents of the seeds, the large number of unique polypeptides in seeds that can bind to many moieties, the presence of growth factors in the leaves, and the high sugar and starch content of the entire plant. Equally important is the fact that few parts of the tree contain any toxins that might decrease its potential as a source of food for animals or humans. For the sake of simplicity and clarity we will refer to the plant, Moringa oleifera as Moringa throughout this article.