SlideShare a Scribd company logo
IOSR Journal of Applied Chemistry (IOSR-JAC)
e-ISSN: 2278-5736.Volume 4, Issue 4 (May. – Jun. 2013), PP 10-12
www.iosrjournals.org
www.iosrjournals.org 10 | Page
Chemical Profile of the Mesocarp of three Varieties of Terminalia
catappa L (Almond Tree)
Bolaji, O. S; Ogunmola,O. O; and Sodamade A
Department Of Chemistry, Emmanuel Alayande College of EducationP.M.B. 1010, Oyo. Oyo State Nigeria
Abstract: Five mineral composition (macro element) and proximate composition of the mesocarp of the three
common varieties of Terminalia catappa were investigated using standard analytical procedure with a view to
evaluating their nutritional potential. The proximate composition of the fruit samples revealed the moisture
content 4.81±0.01 to 7.48±0.002, Crude protein; 5.21±0.08 to 6.94±0.08, Crude fibre; 17.27±0.01 to 55.77±
0.004, Crude Fat; 3.66±0.001 to 7.66±0.002, ash; 2.05±0.01 to 7.14±0.01 and nitrogen free extract 25.77±0.04
to 54.79±0.02. The mineral content of the three samples indicated that P, Na, Ca, Mg and K are the most
abundant of the five minerals examined. The study revealed that both the chemical composition and proximate
composition are comparable with other fruits. Also, the three varieties do not vary much from each other. The
representative anti nutritional factors- tannis and phytate was reported present at concentrations that may not
pose health problems for human consumption. The study recommended that the three varieties are good for
human consumption like other fruits.
I. Introduction
Terminalia catappa tree, commonly called tropical almond, wild almond, India almond, sea almond,
almond tree etc belong to the family of Combretacea (Nwosu et al 2008). It originated from tropical Asia ,
India, The Malay Peninsula, Taiwan, Burma though thrives well in other tropical regions of the world including
Nigeria. The fruits are very nutritious and contain significant amount of high quality proteins and minerals (Eley
1976). The fruits are eaten raw and cherished by children particularly in Southern Nigeria. It is considered to
have aphrodissac and anti bacteria properties (Christian & Ekhun 2006). The world’s production of this fruit
stands at 700000tons annually and Nigeria produces 100000tons annually (Annongu 2005). There are several
species of the T. catappa but the most common is Prunus amygdalus which has two types viz: Prunus delcis
vardulas – the sweet variety and Prunus var mara the bitter variety. The white variety is also common in
Nigeria.
Christian & Ekhun (2006) reported the proximate composition of the nuts of T. catappa and Nwosu et
al (2008) compared the mesocarp of the plant with Hyphanae thebaica (dum palm) but there had not been
reports on comparison of the three common varieties in Nigeria. This work is on proximate compositions of the
mesocarps of the three common varieties of T. catappa in Southern Nigeria with the intent of supplying
nutritionists with more information on this plant.
II. Materials and Methods
Sample collection and pretreatment: Mature ripe fruits for this study were collected by handpicking in Oyo
town of Oyo State in Nigeria. Oyo town is located in the Southwest of Nigeria. The collections and subsequent
treatment was done in June 2008. The fruits were identified in the Department of Biology, Emmanuel Alayande
College of Education, Oyo and confirmed at Forest Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), Ibadan. Initial
screening was done to separate the good one from the bad ones. The good ones were scooped with knife and
then sundried for seven days. The samples were then grounded into powder and stored in desiccators. All
analyses were done on dried samples.
Mineral analysis: The metal ions – calcium Ca, magnesium Mg, sodium Na, potassium K, Iron Fe and non
metal phosphorous P were determined using the method of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC,
1990) with the aid of atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Buck Scientific model 200). The samples were dry-
ashed at 5500
C. The ash was boiled with 10ml of 20%hydrochloric acid and filtered into a 100ml standard flask
and deionized water was used to make the mark. Triplicate analysis of each of these samples was carried out by
aspirating the digested samples into the instrument separately and the mean signal responses recorded at each
element’s respective wavelength. Blank determination was conducted also.
Prximate analysis: Proximate analyses were carried out according to the procedure of AOAC, 1990. Triplicate
determinations were done for each of the parameters using 2g of the dry matter. Moisture content was
determined by drying 2g of the dry sample in an oven overnight at 105o
C until constant weight was obtained.
Crude fat was soxhlet extracted in petroleum ether between 600
- 800
C exhaustively. The total nitrogen was
determined by microkjedahl method described by Pearson(1976) and converted to crude protein by multiplying
Chemical Profile of the Mesocarp of three Varieties of Terminalia catappa L (Almond Tree)
www.iosrjournals.org 11 | Page
by corrective factor 6.25. The total ash was obtained by incinerating 2g of the dry sample in a muffle furnace at
5500
C until fully burnt to ash at constant weight. Carbohydrate was determined by difference (Pearson, 1976).
Quantification of anti nutritional factors: tannins and phytate
a. Determination of tannins: Tannins content was determined by method described by Price et al (1978).
Calibration curve was prepared for catechin standard solutions using freshly prepared vanillin-hydrochloric acid
reagent. Blank solution was also prepared and the absorbance taken at 500nm. Absorbance of blank was
subtracted from that of the standard and the difference was used to plot the curve. 2g of the ground sample was
then extracted with hydrochloric-methanol solution and reacted with vanillin-HCl reagent. The absorbance was
taken and the difference with absorbance of blank solution was used to obtain the tannin in mg/g from the
standard catechin curve.
b. Detemination of phytate : Phytate of the mesocarps of the three samples was determined by the method
described by Nahm(1992)
III. Results and Discussion
The result of the proximate composition is presented in Table I. It reveals considerable amount of fibre
ranging from 17.27±0.01 to 55.77±0.004.fibre in food independently lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk
of cardiovascular disease. The repoted value is good for human’s body. The carbohydrate content is (25.77±0.04
to 54.79±0.02). The carbohydrate content is slightly lower in sample B but sample A and C can contribute
meaningfully to the recommended daily allowance. The crude protein content ranges between 5.21±0.08 and
6.94±0.08. The protein contents of the three species are not significantly different at 95% confidence limit.
Proteins however are needful diet consumption of human beings. It is essential for growth and cell replacement.
WHO/FAO suggests a daily intake of 0.88g of protein per kg body weight for children in the age range of 1 –
10years. This study reveals that the mesocarp of almond fruits can be a good supplement for plant protein.
Table I: Chemical Composition of the Mesocarps of the three Varieties of T. catappa. g/100g
Parameters Sample A Sample B Sample C
Moisture 4.81±0.01 6.50±0.01 7.48±0.002
Crude Protein 6.94±0.08 5.21±0.08 5.66±0.08
Fibre 41.03±0.16 55.77±0.004 17.27±0.01
Fat 5.23±0.004 3.66±0.001 7.66±0.002
Ash 2.05±0.01 3.09±o.08 7.14±0.01
Carbohydrate 39.84±0.05 25.77±0.04 54.79±0.02
±Mean standard deviation of triplicate determination
The fat content falls within the range of 3.66±0.001 and 7.66±0.003. This value reveals that the
mesocarp is low in fat compared with that of the nuts of the same plant reported by Christian and Ukhum
(2006).
The ash content of 2.05±0.01 in the red species and 7.14±0.01 in the white species is low and suggests
low content of inorganic minerals. The mesocarp contains moisture between 4.81±0.01 in the red species and
7.48±0.002 in the white species. The low level of moisture allows for longer storage because of reduced
microbial activities (Hassan et al, 2007).
Table II: Mineral Composition of the three Varieties of T. catappa mg/100g
Minerals Sample A Sample B Sample C
Mg 101.3 110.7 95.2
K 59.1 71.6 80.3
Ca 81.9 65.8 90.5
Na 111.6 109.2 121.6
Fe 11.5 9.6 10.1
P 1387 1260 1586
Table II reveals that the mesocarps mineral composition consists of magnesium, potassium, calcium,
sodium, iron and phosphorous in reasonable amounts. These nutritionally important components of this fruit are
found to be comparable to values reported for some Nigerian agricultural fruits by Duke (1984) and Umoh
(1995) in Oloyede (2005). The samples are also rich in dietary phosphorous. Phosphorous according to
Christian and Ukhum (2006) makes up 22% of total body minerals.
The presence of anti-nutritional factors is reported in Table III. These are tannin and phytate. Tannin is
toxic in bloodstream (Bello, 2006). Excessive consumption of tannin is both mutagenic and carcinogenic
(Shamberger, 1998). Tannin value of 0.68Ta/100mg which is the highest in the three samples is very low to be
Chemical Profile of the Mesocarp of three Varieties of Terminalia catappa L (Almond Tree)
www.iosrjournals.org 12 | Page
of any nutritional significance. On the other hand at low concentrations as reported by Nwos et al (2008), tannin
is advantageous. It plays the role of anti-inflammatory agent.
Table III: Composition of Representative Anti nutritional Factors in the Mesocarp of the three Varieties
of T. catppa.mg/100g
Parameter Sample A Sample B Sample C
Tannin (Ta/100g) 0.85 0.68 0.65
Phytate (mg/g) 6.68±0.13 3.36±0.03 7.84±0.08
Phytate, the other anti-nutritional factor quantified in the fruits binds essential mineral nutrients in
digestive tract and can result in minerals deficiencies (Bello, 2006). Phytate diet of 10-60mg/g consumed over a
long period of time has been reported to decrease bioavailability of minerals in monogastric animals (Thomson,
1993). Phytate level of 3.36±0.03 to 7.84±0.08 reported in this study will not be of any nutritional significance,
IV. Conclusion
The mesocarps of T. catappa investigated is a good fruit for consumption. The mineral and proximate
compositions are good supplements to food and are well comparable with other fruits. The anti-nutritional
factors reported are not so much to cause any concern to nutritionist. The three varieties investigated are
comparable.
References
[1] AOAC, (1990) Official Methods of Analysis. Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 15th
Ed. Washington D C
[2] Annogu, A. A; Ogundun, Niyi J; Joseph, K. J & Awopetu, V. (2006): Changes in chemical composition and bioassay assessment of
nutritional potentials of almond fruit waste as an alternative feedstufffor lifestocks. Biokemistri 18, 1 25-30
[3] Bello, M. O. (2006): Nutritional and industrial potentials of some underutilized fruits in Nigeria.Unpublished PhD thesis.
[4] Christian, A & Ukhun, M. E. (2006) Nutritional potentials of the nuts of tropical almond (Terminalia catappa L). Pakistan Journal
of Nutrition 5, 4 334-336
[5] Chyan, C. C; Ko, P. T; Mau, J. L & Ka, M. D. (2000) Anti-oxidant activities of Terminalia catappa L leaf extract. Dept.of Food
Nutrition,Hung-Kuang Institude of Technology. Tachung 433, Taiwan, ROC
[6] Duke, J. A (1984): Borderline herbs. CRC Press. Boca Raton FL pg 1-61
[7] Eley, G (1976): Wild fruits and nuts. E. P. Publishing Ltd, Yorkeshire.pg 18-24
[8] Hassan, L. G; Umar, K. J & Atiku, I (2000) Nutritional evaluation of Albizia lebbeck podsas source of feeds for livestocks. Am. J.
Foods Technol. 2, 5 435-439.
[9] Nahm, K. H (1992): Practical guide to feed forage and water analysis . Yoo Han Publishing Inc. Korea Republic 132-133
[10] Nwosu, F. O; Dosumu, O. O. & Okocha, J. O. C (2008) The potentials of Terminalia catappa (almond) and Hyphaene thebaica
(Dum palm) fruits as raw materials for livestock feed. African Journal of Biotechnology 7, 24 4 576-4580
[11] Oloyede, O. I. (2005) Chemical profile of unripe pulp of Carica papaya. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition. 4, 6 379-381
[12] Pearson, D. (1976) The chemical analysis of food. 7th
Ed. Churchill Livingstone, London.
[13] Price, M. L; Scoyoc, S. V & Butler, L. G. (1978) Critical evaluation of the vallinin reation as an assay for tannin in sorghum grain.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 26, 1214-1218
[14] Shamberger, R. J. (1984) Nutrition and cancer. Plenum Press, New York 45 pg 15-23
[15] Thomson, L. U. (1993) Potential health benefits and problems associated with anti-nutrients in foods. Res. Intl 26 131-149
[16] WHO/FAO, (1973) Report in: Energy and protein requirements. Geneva: World Health Organisation; WHO Technical Report
series. No 522.

More Related Content

PDF
Production of bioethanol from biomass of microalgae Dunaliella tertiolecta
PDF
Moringa oleifera-vs-stenopetala
PDF
2007 antiproliferative, cytotoxic and antitumour activity
PDF
Development of Nimbolide from Seeds of Azadirachta Indica Extract Assisted by...
PDF
YELLOW OLEANDER (THEVETIA PERUVIANA) SEEDS FOR HUMAN FOOD IN KENYA
PDF
Carcass, Organ Weights and Histo-morphology of Internal Organs of Sows Fed Fe...
PDF
PROXIMATE AND MINERAL COMPOSITION OF Pentadiplandra brazzeana STEM BARK
PDF
Growth Pattern, Molecular Identification and Bio molecules Analysis of FOMITO...
Production of bioethanol from biomass of microalgae Dunaliella tertiolecta
Moringa oleifera-vs-stenopetala
2007 antiproliferative, cytotoxic and antitumour activity
Development of Nimbolide from Seeds of Azadirachta Indica Extract Assisted by...
YELLOW OLEANDER (THEVETIA PERUVIANA) SEEDS FOR HUMAN FOOD IN KENYA
Carcass, Organ Weights and Histo-morphology of Internal Organs of Sows Fed Fe...
PROXIMATE AND MINERAL COMPOSITION OF Pentadiplandra brazzeana STEM BARK
Growth Pattern, Molecular Identification and Bio molecules Analysis of FOMITO...

What's hot (19)

PDF
Conceição et al, 2012. potamotrygon cf. henlei stingray mucus biochemical fea...
PDF
Evaluation of the Nutritional composition (Proximate, Mineral and Amino acids...
PDF
Functional Food Science and Technology Journal 2(1): 9-23 (2020)
PDF
Proximate analysis and in-vitro gas production of predominant forages in Afe ...
PDF
Response of Chemical Fertilization on Some Nitrogenous Biomolecules in Grains...
PDF
B056208014
PDF
Effects of ethanolic
PDF
Biochemical components of three marine macroalgae (Padina pavonica, Ulva lact...
PDF
Nutritional value composition_of_moringa_leaves
PDF
Zaragozà et al.
PDF
Evaluation of Gamma Irradiation Effects on Brazilian Orange Melon (Cucumis me...
PDF
Effects of organic and mineral fertilizers on total antioxidant, polyphenolic...
PDF
Analysis of some mineral elements in major coconut
PDF
life sci paper
PDF
Proximate Analysis, Mineral Contents and Functional Properties of Moringa Ole...
PDF
Nutritional profile of amaranth grain varieties grown in kenya
PDF
Growth performance and nutrient utilization of clarias gariepinus fed moringa...
PDF
Antioxidant activity against methanol extraction of eucheuma cotonii and e. s...
PDF
Genome-scale in silico atpE gene knockout in Escherichia coli could drive nov...
Conceição et al, 2012. potamotrygon cf. henlei stingray mucus biochemical fea...
Evaluation of the Nutritional composition (Proximate, Mineral and Amino acids...
Functional Food Science and Technology Journal 2(1): 9-23 (2020)
Proximate analysis and in-vitro gas production of predominant forages in Afe ...
Response of Chemical Fertilization on Some Nitrogenous Biomolecules in Grains...
B056208014
Effects of ethanolic
Biochemical components of three marine macroalgae (Padina pavonica, Ulva lact...
Nutritional value composition_of_moringa_leaves
Zaragozà et al.
Evaluation of Gamma Irradiation Effects on Brazilian Orange Melon (Cucumis me...
Effects of organic and mineral fertilizers on total antioxidant, polyphenolic...
Analysis of some mineral elements in major coconut
life sci paper
Proximate Analysis, Mineral Contents and Functional Properties of Moringa Ole...
Nutritional profile of amaranth grain varieties grown in kenya
Growth performance and nutrient utilization of clarias gariepinus fed moringa...
Antioxidant activity against methanol extraction of eucheuma cotonii and e. s...
Genome-scale in silico atpE gene knockout in Escherichia coli could drive nov...
Ad

Viewers also liked (20)

PDF
E010412433
PDF
Analysis of Interfacial Microsstructure of Post Weld Heat Treated Dissimilar ...
PDF
An Automated Model to Detect Fake Profiles and botnets in Online Social Netwo...
PDF
E0152531
PDF
Design Issues for Search Engines and Web Crawlers: A Review
PDF
Chemical Reaction Effects on Free Convective Flow of a Polar Fluid from a Ver...
PDF
C0560913
PDF
C012411728
PDF
The effect of Encryption algorithms Delay on TCP Traffic over data networks
PDF
Synthesis and structural characterization of Al-CNT metal matrix composite us...
PDF
Hardy-Steklov operator on two exponent Lorentz spaces for non-decreasing func...
PDF
The Production of Triploid Clariobranchus in Indoor Hatchery
PDF
H010613642
PDF
Data Security Model Enhancement In Cloud Environment
PDF
C0610718
PDF
A0550108
PDF
Design and Implementation of Model Reference Adaptive Controller using Coeffi...
PDF
Design of 16 Channel R.F. Mixer
PDF
H0515259
PDF
I012116164
E010412433
Analysis of Interfacial Microsstructure of Post Weld Heat Treated Dissimilar ...
An Automated Model to Detect Fake Profiles and botnets in Online Social Netwo...
E0152531
Design Issues for Search Engines and Web Crawlers: A Review
Chemical Reaction Effects on Free Convective Flow of a Polar Fluid from a Ver...
C0560913
C012411728
The effect of Encryption algorithms Delay on TCP Traffic over data networks
Synthesis and structural characterization of Al-CNT metal matrix composite us...
Hardy-Steklov operator on two exponent Lorentz spaces for non-decreasing func...
The Production of Triploid Clariobranchus in Indoor Hatchery
H010613642
Data Security Model Enhancement In Cloud Environment
C0610718
A0550108
Design and Implementation of Model Reference Adaptive Controller using Coeffi...
Design of 16 Channel R.F. Mixer
H0515259
I012116164
Ad

Similar to C0441012 (20)

PDF
Nutritive and Anti-nutritive composition of Wild grown Canavalia gladiata seeds
PDF
Assessing the Anti-Nutritional Composition of Four Varieties of African Yam B...
PDF
1 phytochemical and-nutrient-composition-of-the-freeze-dried-amazonian-palm-b...
PDF
Comparative analysis of the phytochemical and nutrient
PDF
An evaluation of the phytochemical and nutrient composition
PDF
Nutritional research for moringa Pakistan
PDF
Phytochemical Screening, Nutritional Composition and Antimicrobial Activity o...
PDF
Phytochemical evaluation of different solvent extracts of aegle marmelos frui...
PDF
C0366018024
PPTX
Thesis_Defense_final
PDF
Adeyeyeand aremu
 
PDF
PDF
Proximate, Mineral and Anti-Nutrient Evaluation of Pumpkin Pulp (Cucurbita Pepo)
PPTX
tooba shafi presentation.pptx
PDF
Proximate and mineral analysis of delonix regia leaves and roots
PDF
PDF
Phytochemical Analysis of Catharanthus Roseus L. (G.) DON.
PDF
Evaluation of Nutritional Components of Carica papaya L. At Different Stages ...
PDF
Phytochemical, Proximate and Nutrient Analysis of Cassia Tora Seeds
PDF
Nutritional Profile and Physicochemical Properties of Peach Varieties in Ethi...
Nutritive and Anti-nutritive composition of Wild grown Canavalia gladiata seeds
Assessing the Anti-Nutritional Composition of Four Varieties of African Yam B...
1 phytochemical and-nutrient-composition-of-the-freeze-dried-amazonian-palm-b...
Comparative analysis of the phytochemical and nutrient
An evaluation of the phytochemical and nutrient composition
Nutritional research for moringa Pakistan
Phytochemical Screening, Nutritional Composition and Antimicrobial Activity o...
Phytochemical evaluation of different solvent extracts of aegle marmelos frui...
C0366018024
Thesis_Defense_final
Adeyeyeand aremu
 
Proximate, Mineral and Anti-Nutrient Evaluation of Pumpkin Pulp (Cucurbita Pepo)
tooba shafi presentation.pptx
Proximate and mineral analysis of delonix regia leaves and roots
Phytochemical Analysis of Catharanthus Roseus L. (G.) DON.
Evaluation of Nutritional Components of Carica papaya L. At Different Stages ...
Phytochemical, Proximate and Nutrient Analysis of Cassia Tora Seeds
Nutritional Profile and Physicochemical Properties of Peach Varieties in Ethi...

More from IOSR Journals (20)

PDF
A011140104
PDF
M0111397100
PDF
L011138596
PDF
K011138084
PDF
J011137479
PDF
I011136673
PDF
G011134454
PDF
H011135565
PDF
F011134043
PDF
E011133639
PDF
D011132635
PDF
C011131925
PDF
B011130918
PDF
A011130108
PDF
I011125160
PDF
H011124050
PDF
G011123539
PDF
F011123134
PDF
E011122530
PDF
D011121524
A011140104
M0111397100
L011138596
K011138084
J011137479
I011136673
G011134454
H011135565
F011134043
E011133639
D011132635
C011131925
B011130918
A011130108
I011125160
H011124050
G011123539
F011123134
E011122530
D011121524

Recently uploaded (20)

PDF
Video forgery: An extensive analysis of inter-and intra-frame manipulation al...
PPTX
observCloud-Native Containerability and monitoring.pptx
PPT
What is a Computer? Input Devices /output devices
PDF
STKI Israel Market Study 2025 version august
PDF
Enhancing emotion recognition model for a student engagement use case through...
PDF
2021 HotChips TSMC Packaging Technologies for Chiplets and 3D_0819 publish_pu...
PDF
August Patch Tuesday
PDF
project resource management chapter-09.pdf
PPTX
Tartificialntelligence_presentation.pptx
PPTX
Chapter 5: Probability Theory and Statistics
PDF
Microsoft Solutions Partner Drive Digital Transformation with D365.pdf
PDF
A contest of sentiment analysis: k-nearest neighbor versus neural network
PDF
Zenith AI: Advanced Artificial Intelligence
PDF
Hybrid model detection and classification of lung cancer
PDF
NewMind AI Weekly Chronicles – August ’25 Week III
PDF
Transform Your ITIL® 4 & ITSM Strategy with AI in 2025.pdf
PDF
NewMind AI Weekly Chronicles - August'25-Week II
PDF
Hindi spoken digit analysis for native and non-native speakers
PDF
DP Operators-handbook-extract for the Mautical Institute
PPTX
Final SEM Unit 1 for mit wpu at pune .pptx
Video forgery: An extensive analysis of inter-and intra-frame manipulation al...
observCloud-Native Containerability and monitoring.pptx
What is a Computer? Input Devices /output devices
STKI Israel Market Study 2025 version august
Enhancing emotion recognition model for a student engagement use case through...
2021 HotChips TSMC Packaging Technologies for Chiplets and 3D_0819 publish_pu...
August Patch Tuesday
project resource management chapter-09.pdf
Tartificialntelligence_presentation.pptx
Chapter 5: Probability Theory and Statistics
Microsoft Solutions Partner Drive Digital Transformation with D365.pdf
A contest of sentiment analysis: k-nearest neighbor versus neural network
Zenith AI: Advanced Artificial Intelligence
Hybrid model detection and classification of lung cancer
NewMind AI Weekly Chronicles – August ’25 Week III
Transform Your ITIL® 4 & ITSM Strategy with AI in 2025.pdf
NewMind AI Weekly Chronicles - August'25-Week II
Hindi spoken digit analysis for native and non-native speakers
DP Operators-handbook-extract for the Mautical Institute
Final SEM Unit 1 for mit wpu at pune .pptx

C0441012

  • 1. IOSR Journal of Applied Chemistry (IOSR-JAC) e-ISSN: 2278-5736.Volume 4, Issue 4 (May. – Jun. 2013), PP 10-12 www.iosrjournals.org www.iosrjournals.org 10 | Page Chemical Profile of the Mesocarp of three Varieties of Terminalia catappa L (Almond Tree) Bolaji, O. S; Ogunmola,O. O; and Sodamade A Department Of Chemistry, Emmanuel Alayande College of EducationP.M.B. 1010, Oyo. Oyo State Nigeria Abstract: Five mineral composition (macro element) and proximate composition of the mesocarp of the three common varieties of Terminalia catappa were investigated using standard analytical procedure with a view to evaluating their nutritional potential. The proximate composition of the fruit samples revealed the moisture content 4.81±0.01 to 7.48±0.002, Crude protein; 5.21±0.08 to 6.94±0.08, Crude fibre; 17.27±0.01 to 55.77± 0.004, Crude Fat; 3.66±0.001 to 7.66±0.002, ash; 2.05±0.01 to 7.14±0.01 and nitrogen free extract 25.77±0.04 to 54.79±0.02. The mineral content of the three samples indicated that P, Na, Ca, Mg and K are the most abundant of the five minerals examined. The study revealed that both the chemical composition and proximate composition are comparable with other fruits. Also, the three varieties do not vary much from each other. The representative anti nutritional factors- tannis and phytate was reported present at concentrations that may not pose health problems for human consumption. The study recommended that the three varieties are good for human consumption like other fruits. I. Introduction Terminalia catappa tree, commonly called tropical almond, wild almond, India almond, sea almond, almond tree etc belong to the family of Combretacea (Nwosu et al 2008). It originated from tropical Asia , India, The Malay Peninsula, Taiwan, Burma though thrives well in other tropical regions of the world including Nigeria. The fruits are very nutritious and contain significant amount of high quality proteins and minerals (Eley 1976). The fruits are eaten raw and cherished by children particularly in Southern Nigeria. It is considered to have aphrodissac and anti bacteria properties (Christian & Ekhun 2006). The world’s production of this fruit stands at 700000tons annually and Nigeria produces 100000tons annually (Annongu 2005). There are several species of the T. catappa but the most common is Prunus amygdalus which has two types viz: Prunus delcis vardulas – the sweet variety and Prunus var mara the bitter variety. The white variety is also common in Nigeria. Christian & Ekhun (2006) reported the proximate composition of the nuts of T. catappa and Nwosu et al (2008) compared the mesocarp of the plant with Hyphanae thebaica (dum palm) but there had not been reports on comparison of the three common varieties in Nigeria. This work is on proximate compositions of the mesocarps of the three common varieties of T. catappa in Southern Nigeria with the intent of supplying nutritionists with more information on this plant. II. Materials and Methods Sample collection and pretreatment: Mature ripe fruits for this study were collected by handpicking in Oyo town of Oyo State in Nigeria. Oyo town is located in the Southwest of Nigeria. The collections and subsequent treatment was done in June 2008. The fruits were identified in the Department of Biology, Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo and confirmed at Forest Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), Ibadan. Initial screening was done to separate the good one from the bad ones. The good ones were scooped with knife and then sundried for seven days. The samples were then grounded into powder and stored in desiccators. All analyses were done on dried samples. Mineral analysis: The metal ions – calcium Ca, magnesium Mg, sodium Na, potassium K, Iron Fe and non metal phosphorous P were determined using the method of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC, 1990) with the aid of atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Buck Scientific model 200). The samples were dry- ashed at 5500 C. The ash was boiled with 10ml of 20%hydrochloric acid and filtered into a 100ml standard flask and deionized water was used to make the mark. Triplicate analysis of each of these samples was carried out by aspirating the digested samples into the instrument separately and the mean signal responses recorded at each element’s respective wavelength. Blank determination was conducted also. Prximate analysis: Proximate analyses were carried out according to the procedure of AOAC, 1990. Triplicate determinations were done for each of the parameters using 2g of the dry matter. Moisture content was determined by drying 2g of the dry sample in an oven overnight at 105o C until constant weight was obtained. Crude fat was soxhlet extracted in petroleum ether between 600 - 800 C exhaustively. The total nitrogen was determined by microkjedahl method described by Pearson(1976) and converted to crude protein by multiplying
  • 2. Chemical Profile of the Mesocarp of three Varieties of Terminalia catappa L (Almond Tree) www.iosrjournals.org 11 | Page by corrective factor 6.25. The total ash was obtained by incinerating 2g of the dry sample in a muffle furnace at 5500 C until fully burnt to ash at constant weight. Carbohydrate was determined by difference (Pearson, 1976). Quantification of anti nutritional factors: tannins and phytate a. Determination of tannins: Tannins content was determined by method described by Price et al (1978). Calibration curve was prepared for catechin standard solutions using freshly prepared vanillin-hydrochloric acid reagent. Blank solution was also prepared and the absorbance taken at 500nm. Absorbance of blank was subtracted from that of the standard and the difference was used to plot the curve. 2g of the ground sample was then extracted with hydrochloric-methanol solution and reacted with vanillin-HCl reagent. The absorbance was taken and the difference with absorbance of blank solution was used to obtain the tannin in mg/g from the standard catechin curve. b. Detemination of phytate : Phytate of the mesocarps of the three samples was determined by the method described by Nahm(1992) III. Results and Discussion The result of the proximate composition is presented in Table I. It reveals considerable amount of fibre ranging from 17.27±0.01 to 55.77±0.004.fibre in food independently lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. The repoted value is good for human’s body. The carbohydrate content is (25.77±0.04 to 54.79±0.02). The carbohydrate content is slightly lower in sample B but sample A and C can contribute meaningfully to the recommended daily allowance. The crude protein content ranges between 5.21±0.08 and 6.94±0.08. The protein contents of the three species are not significantly different at 95% confidence limit. Proteins however are needful diet consumption of human beings. It is essential for growth and cell replacement. WHO/FAO suggests a daily intake of 0.88g of protein per kg body weight for children in the age range of 1 – 10years. This study reveals that the mesocarp of almond fruits can be a good supplement for plant protein. Table I: Chemical Composition of the Mesocarps of the three Varieties of T. catappa. g/100g Parameters Sample A Sample B Sample C Moisture 4.81±0.01 6.50±0.01 7.48±0.002 Crude Protein 6.94±0.08 5.21±0.08 5.66±0.08 Fibre 41.03±0.16 55.77±0.004 17.27±0.01 Fat 5.23±0.004 3.66±0.001 7.66±0.002 Ash 2.05±0.01 3.09±o.08 7.14±0.01 Carbohydrate 39.84±0.05 25.77±0.04 54.79±0.02 ±Mean standard deviation of triplicate determination The fat content falls within the range of 3.66±0.001 and 7.66±0.003. This value reveals that the mesocarp is low in fat compared with that of the nuts of the same plant reported by Christian and Ukhum (2006). The ash content of 2.05±0.01 in the red species and 7.14±0.01 in the white species is low and suggests low content of inorganic minerals. The mesocarp contains moisture between 4.81±0.01 in the red species and 7.48±0.002 in the white species. The low level of moisture allows for longer storage because of reduced microbial activities (Hassan et al, 2007). Table II: Mineral Composition of the three Varieties of T. catappa mg/100g Minerals Sample A Sample B Sample C Mg 101.3 110.7 95.2 K 59.1 71.6 80.3 Ca 81.9 65.8 90.5 Na 111.6 109.2 121.6 Fe 11.5 9.6 10.1 P 1387 1260 1586 Table II reveals that the mesocarps mineral composition consists of magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium, iron and phosphorous in reasonable amounts. These nutritionally important components of this fruit are found to be comparable to values reported for some Nigerian agricultural fruits by Duke (1984) and Umoh (1995) in Oloyede (2005). The samples are also rich in dietary phosphorous. Phosphorous according to Christian and Ukhum (2006) makes up 22% of total body minerals. The presence of anti-nutritional factors is reported in Table III. These are tannin and phytate. Tannin is toxic in bloodstream (Bello, 2006). Excessive consumption of tannin is both mutagenic and carcinogenic (Shamberger, 1998). Tannin value of 0.68Ta/100mg which is the highest in the three samples is very low to be
  • 3. Chemical Profile of the Mesocarp of three Varieties of Terminalia catappa L (Almond Tree) www.iosrjournals.org 12 | Page of any nutritional significance. On the other hand at low concentrations as reported by Nwos et al (2008), tannin is advantageous. It plays the role of anti-inflammatory agent. Table III: Composition of Representative Anti nutritional Factors in the Mesocarp of the three Varieties of T. catppa.mg/100g Parameter Sample A Sample B Sample C Tannin (Ta/100g) 0.85 0.68 0.65 Phytate (mg/g) 6.68±0.13 3.36±0.03 7.84±0.08 Phytate, the other anti-nutritional factor quantified in the fruits binds essential mineral nutrients in digestive tract and can result in minerals deficiencies (Bello, 2006). Phytate diet of 10-60mg/g consumed over a long period of time has been reported to decrease bioavailability of minerals in monogastric animals (Thomson, 1993). Phytate level of 3.36±0.03 to 7.84±0.08 reported in this study will not be of any nutritional significance, IV. Conclusion The mesocarps of T. catappa investigated is a good fruit for consumption. The mineral and proximate compositions are good supplements to food and are well comparable with other fruits. The anti-nutritional factors reported are not so much to cause any concern to nutritionist. The three varieties investigated are comparable. References [1] AOAC, (1990) Official Methods of Analysis. Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 15th Ed. Washington D C [2] Annogu, A. A; Ogundun, Niyi J; Joseph, K. J & Awopetu, V. (2006): Changes in chemical composition and bioassay assessment of nutritional potentials of almond fruit waste as an alternative feedstufffor lifestocks. Biokemistri 18, 1 25-30 [3] Bello, M. O. (2006): Nutritional and industrial potentials of some underutilized fruits in Nigeria.Unpublished PhD thesis. [4] Christian, A & Ukhun, M. E. (2006) Nutritional potentials of the nuts of tropical almond (Terminalia catappa L). Pakistan Journal of Nutrition 5, 4 334-336 [5] Chyan, C. C; Ko, P. T; Mau, J. L & Ka, M. D. (2000) Anti-oxidant activities of Terminalia catappa L leaf extract. Dept.of Food Nutrition,Hung-Kuang Institude of Technology. Tachung 433, Taiwan, ROC [6] Duke, J. A (1984): Borderline herbs. CRC Press. Boca Raton FL pg 1-61 [7] Eley, G (1976): Wild fruits and nuts. E. P. Publishing Ltd, Yorkeshire.pg 18-24 [8] Hassan, L. G; Umar, K. J & Atiku, I (2000) Nutritional evaluation of Albizia lebbeck podsas source of feeds for livestocks. Am. J. Foods Technol. 2, 5 435-439. [9] Nahm, K. H (1992): Practical guide to feed forage and water analysis . Yoo Han Publishing Inc. Korea Republic 132-133 [10] Nwosu, F. O; Dosumu, O. O. & Okocha, J. O. C (2008) The potentials of Terminalia catappa (almond) and Hyphaene thebaica (Dum palm) fruits as raw materials for livestock feed. African Journal of Biotechnology 7, 24 4 576-4580 [11] Oloyede, O. I. (2005) Chemical profile of unripe pulp of Carica papaya. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition. 4, 6 379-381 [12] Pearson, D. (1976) The chemical analysis of food. 7th Ed. Churchill Livingstone, London. [13] Price, M. L; Scoyoc, S. V & Butler, L. G. (1978) Critical evaluation of the vallinin reation as an assay for tannin in sorghum grain. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 26, 1214-1218 [14] Shamberger, R. J. (1984) Nutrition and cancer. Plenum Press, New York 45 pg 15-23 [15] Thomson, L. U. (1993) Potential health benefits and problems associated with anti-nutrients in foods. Res. Intl 26 131-149 [16] WHO/FAO, (1973) Report in: Energy and protein requirements. Geneva: World Health Organisation; WHO Technical Report series. No 522.