Abstract
The amino acid and carbohydrate compositions of the larva of the raffia palm weevil were determined in this study. Nutritional components such as amino acid and carbohydrate analyses were carried out on the larva. In the larva, the amino acid profile of the protein and carbohydrate composition was determined using high performance liquid chromatography method. The amino acid composition reveals a total of 18 amino acids with glutamic acid (14.46g/100g) and aspartic acid (10.65g/100g) as the predominant amino acids. The amino acids have a total value of 96.06g/100g. The essential amino acids make up 53.08g/100g of the total amino acids. This value represents 55.26% of the total amino acid composition of the raffia palm weevil sample. The larva of the raffia palm weevil has high values of lysine (9.72g/100g), leucine (8.98g/100g) and arginine (6.55g/100g). The essential amino acids: lysine, leucine, isoleucine, threonine, valine, phenylalanine and tyrosine have higher values than the FAO/WHO/UNU reference values for the respective amino acids. The larva is rich in glucose (213.96mg/100g), fructose (42.47mg/100g), and sucrose (36.6mg/100g). The palm weevil larva represents a very good source of protein, a good complement of essential amino acids, and dietary energy.
Highlights
The huge Nigeria’s livestock resources revealed that the bulk of animal proteins are from cattle, sheep, goat and poultry which are characterized by low productivity, high risk of diseases, and poor genetic potentials [1]
The non-essential amino acid profile showed that the sample investigated contained appreciable quantities of glutamic acid (14.46 g/100g), aspartic acid (10.65 g/100g), alanine (6.29 g/100g), serine (4.33 g/100g), glycine (4.21 g/100g), proline (3.03 g/100g) and tyrosine (2.92 g/100g) respectively
Among the non-essential amino acids in the samples analyzed, the highest concentration occurred for glutamic acid followed by aspartic acid compared with other amino acids, whereas the lowest value occurred in tyrosine followed by cysteine
Summary
The huge Nigeria’s livestock resources revealed that the bulk of animal proteins are from cattle, sheep, goat and poultry which are characterized by low productivity, high risk of diseases, and poor genetic potentials [1]. Grubs of the raphia palm weevil are fried and eaten in several parts of western Nigeria, in Edo, Delta and Anambra States [1]. Some families make a fairly good living from selling edible insects and their larvae. They are sold widely in the markets, restaurants and highways. The larva of Rhynchophorus phoenicis can be seen hawked along major roads and markets in Edo and Delta States of Nigeria [6], and constitutes a very large market and dependable income earner along major roads at Oba, Anambra State, American Journal of Health Research 2020; 8(5): 89-95. Due to the high level of consumption of this larva in these areas, it has become pertinent to scientifically evaluate the nutritional relevance of the larva and proffer advice on possible optimization of its nutritional and/or medicinal potentials
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