摘要
The study assessed the effect of different processing methods on the phyto-chemical and nutrient properties of Africa oil-bean seeds Pentaclethra macrophylla,commonly known as Ugba.It is a traditional food,consumed by over 20 million people in Nigeria.It is a rich and available source of protein for people,whose staple foods are deficient in protein.Cleaned ugba seeds were subjected to different processing methods,which included:boiling,soaking,drying,and fermentation at different degrees,of 24 h,48 h and 72 h.The samples were dried and examined on their nutrient,anti-nutrient and phyto-chemical properties.The sensory properties of the samples were determined.The result showed significant difference(p<0.05)in the nutrients,ant-nutrient and organoleptic properties of ugba samples.The protein value of ugba samples,fermented for 72 h was highest(36.13%),in relation to the raw samples(29.49%).According to Ref.[1],fermentation may significantly improve the nutritive value of foods by:increasing the digestibility of protein through hydrolysis of proteins and amino acids.The samples that were boiled,had the highest(32.09%)fat content while the 24 h fermented samples had the least value(30.09%).The crude fiber and carbohydrate values of the raw ugba samples was highest(4.11%and 22.21%respectively).The ugba sample fermented for 72 h,recorded highest for calcium(34.13 mg/100 g),potassium(258.04 mg/100 g)and phosphorous(231.91 mg/100 g)in relation to other samples.This result supports the claim by Ref.[2]that fermentation is associated with microbial activities which stimulate better nutrient availability(particularly protein)and digestibility.The anti-nutrient composition of the samples varied.The 72 h fermented ugba had the least values for tannin(0.01 mg/100 g),phytate(0.01 mg/100 g)and oxalate(0.02 mg/100 g).Furthermore,the low level of phytate observed in this study is desirable because increased phytate level in the body,affects the availability of minerals,solubility functionality and digestibility of protein;Sensory properties of ugba samples showed significant difference(p<0.05)among the samples.The 72 h fermented ugba sample,recorded highest value in:colour(7.85),aroma(6.95),taste(6.95),texture(7.0)and general acceptability(8.20),in relation to samples.The findings of this study had proved that,African oil bean(Pentaclethra macrophylla)seeds are rich sources of protein,and appreciable number of some essential minerals especially when processed adequately.Fermentation for 72 h,led to a significant increase in the nutrient availability of the product and a low anti nutritional properties was observed.Ugba seed could be explored to enrich the nutritional quality of some local dishes.
