Comparison of Antioxidant Capacity of Mango (Mangifera indica), Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) and Guava (Psidium guajava) Pulp Extracts at Different Maturation Stages

The total polyphenols, flavonoids, lipid-soluble antioxidants (CALT) and radical scavenging ability of the pulp extracts of mango (Mangifera indica), pawpaw (Asimina triloba) and guava (Psidium guajava) were investigated at different maturation stages for the purpose of determining the antioxidant capacity and the possibility of using these fruits at every maturation stage for the prevention of lipid oxidation. The pulps of these fruits were extracted at different maturation stages; unripe (UR), about to ripe (AR) and ripe (RP). The extracted pulps were freeze-dried and used for the analyses. The total phenolic content was determined by spectrophotometry (Folic Ciocalteu’s method) while 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was used for the radical scavenging ability. The various antioxidant activities were compared with standard antioxidants such as gallic acid, rutin, α-tocophenol and ascorbic acid. The results showed that all the fruits investigated at different maturation stages possessed high quality antioxidants (those that can scavenge free radicals, function as metal chelators or donate hydrogen atoms). Radical scavenging ability of the fruit pulps was significantly affected (P < 0.05) by the different maturation stages. The unripe fruits (mango, pawpaw and guava) have the highest antioxidant properties suggesting that the antioxidant capacity of the fruits decreased as the fruits ripened. Keywords: Fruits, antioxidant capacity, maturation stage

Compositional Evaluation of Pulp and Seed of Blood Plum (Haematostaphis barteri), a Wild Tree Found in Taraba State, Nigeria

Traditional leafy vegetables represent inexpensive but high quality nutritional sources for the poor segment of the population especially in developing world like Nigeria, where malnutrition is wide spread. Blood plum (Haematostaphis barteri) is an under–utilized leafy vegetable belonging to the Anacardiacea family. A comparative study was carried out on proximate composition and amino acid profile of pulp and seed of H. barteri. The proximate composition values (%) for pulp and seed samples were found to be as follows: Moisture (3.56 and 2.75), ash (2.97 and 3.92), crude fat (17.76 and 29.68), crude protein (21.81 and 29.38), crude fibre (8.44 and 2.40), and carbohydrate (45.48 and 31.88). The calculated fatty acids and metabolizable energy were 14.21 and 23.74%; 1801.05 and 2139.58 kJ/100g, respectively. The high metabolizable energy values showed that the samples have an energy concentration more favourable than cereals, and which compare favourably well with those of legumes. The amino acid profiles revealed that pulp and seed samples of H. barteri contained nutritionally useful quantities of most of the essential amino acids. The total amino acids (TAA), total essential amino acids (TEAA) (with His), total sulphur amino acids (TSAA), and essential aromatic amino acids (EArAA) for the pulp and seed samples were 53.39 and 67.07; 26.49 and 34.28; 1.21 and 2.59; 2.70 and 3.37, respectively. However, supplementation of essential amino acid is required in a dietary formula based on H. barteri (pulp and seed), when comparing the EAAs in this report with the recommended FAO/WHO provisional pattern. The limiting EAAs in the pulp and seed of H. barteri were Leu and Lys, respectively. Keyword: Proximate, amino acids, pulp, seed, Haematostaphis barter

Fatty Acid, Phospholipid and Sterol Compositions of Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) and Wonderful Kola (Buchholzia aoriacea) Seeds

Abstract: A comprehensive study on fatty acid, phospholipid and phytosterol compositions of breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) and wonderful kola (Buchholzia coriacea) seeds flour were determined using standard analytical techniques. The most concentrated fatty acid (%) was oleic acid in Artocarpus altilis seed (56.775) while linoleic acid (42.644) was the most concentrated acid in Buchholzia coriacea seeds. The increasing order of the concentrated fatty acids in Artocarpus altilis seeds were: stearic acid (4.723) < palmitic acid (11.412) < linoleic acid (25.710) < oleic acid (56.775) < while that of Buchholzia coriacea seeds were: linolenic acid (2.197) < stearic acid (6.734) < palmitic acid (11.241) < oleic acid (35.719) < linoleic acid (42.644), respectively. Arachidinic, linolenic, erucic, palmitoleic, behemic, lignoceric, arachidonic, margaric, myristic, lauric, capric, caprilic and caproic acids were present in small quantities with none of them recording up to 1.0% in both the two plant seeds. The results also showed high concentration of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) (57.071%) in Artocarpus altilis and 36.739% in Buchholzia coriacea, and values of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were 0.125 and 2.212% for the two plant seeds, respectively. The respective phospholipids composition of phosphatidylserine (204.75 mg/100g) and phosphatidylinositol (29.35 mg/100g) showed a highest concentration in Artocarpus altilis and Buchholzia coriacea while diphosphatidylglycerol was the least phospholipid with concentrations of 0.11 and 0.01 mg/100 g for both samples. The concentrations of phytosterols were of low values except in sitosterol with values of 90.81 and 31.24 mg/100 g in Artocarpus altilis and Buchholzia coriacea respectively. This study provides an informative oil profile that will serve as a basis for further chemical investigations and nutritional evaluation of the Artocarpus altilis and Buchholzia coriacea seed oils