Archives of Current Research International

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a nutritionally and medicinally important vegetable belonging to the family Moringaceae within the order Brassicales. The health-promoting properties of Moringa is partly attributed to glucosinolates (GSLs), a group of sulphur and nitrogen containing secondary metabolites characteristic of the Brassicales. In M. oleifera, the predominant and unique GSL is rhamno benzyl glucosinolate, commonly known as glucomoringin, which is responsible for many of its documented biological and therapeutic activities.  Despite its importance, the natural variation in GSL content among elite and exotic Moringa accessions remains poorly characterized. This gap limits efforts to select high-value germplasm and optimize crop improvement strategies for producing plants with enhanced medicinal properties. To address this problem, the present study quantified GSL levels across diverse elite and exotic accessions using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), aiming to determine whether significant genotype-dependent and tissue-specific differences exist. Fresh leaf and stem tissues from multiple accessions were collected, GSL extracted, and analysed to profile their glucomoringin content. The results revealed variability in GSL accumulation, with elite accessions such as NPM/17-22, NAM/17-42, and TR Local exhibiting higher levels of glucomoringin than exotic accessions. Compared to previous studies, which primarily examined cultivated accessions without distinguishing elite from exotic lines, this study provides a detailed comparative assessment of GSL variability across these germplasms. The results, therefore, establish a foundation for targeted breeding, metabolic engineering, and cultivation strategies aimed at maximizing the health benefits and nutraceutical value of M. oleifera.