Impact of Traditional Treatments on the Nutritional Value of Seeds of Jack Fruit (<i>Artocarpus heterophyllus</i>)

Impact of traditional treatments on the nutritional value of Artocarpus heterophyllus seeds was evaluated. Four traditional processing methods were used (boiling, roasting, soaking and fermentation). Boiled A. heterophyllus (BAH) samples were boiled in water for 60 minutes, roasted A. heterophyllus (RAH) samples were roasted in fine sand, soaked A. heterophyllus (SAH) were soaked in clean water for 48 hours before boiling while the fermented A. heterophyllus (FAH) samples were boiled and wrapped in black bag for 48 hours. The mean proximate content (%) of the unprocessed A. heterophyllus (UAH) seeds was;protein (15.88 ± 0.08), fibre (10.04 ± 0.09) ash (5.05 ± 0.07), moisture (29.25 ± 0.35), fat (10.26 ± 0.35) and carbohydrate (29.52 ± 0.4). Processing affected the proximate and mineral composition of A. heterophyllus seeds. All the processing methods used reduced the protein content. There were significant increases (p < 0.05) in manganese (Mn), magnesuim (Mg), potassium (K), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), iodine (I), chlorine (Cl) and phosphorous (P) BAH and SAH samples and a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in Mg, calcium (Ca), selenium (Se), Cu, Cl, zinc (Zn) and Mn in FAH sample. Processing increased the level of phosphorous in all the samples. A. heterophyllus seeds are rich in nutrient and can serve as an alternative source of nutrients for both man and animals.