Comparative Study of the Nutritional Value of Unripe and Ripe Arils of Blighia sapida (K. D. KOENIG)

Abstract

B. sapida arils are of great socio-economic importance in West Africa due to their food uses. Several studies have focused on mature arils but few studies have focused on immature ones. The objective of this work was to assess the nutritional potential of mature and immature arils of these species. The arils were collected in Kara (Northern-Togo) and in Lome (Southern-Togo). The organic substances contained in the arils were determined according to the methods of AOAC while the minerals were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry for sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium and by molecular absorption spectrophotometry for phosphorus. The main results showed that the mature and immature arils of B. sapida contain alkaloids, tannins, reducing compounds and carbohydrates and are a good source of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and minerals. Furthermore, immature arils showed a better dietary fiber content compared to mature arils. The metabolisable energy of the two types of arils were 526.78 ± 39.87 and 615.95 ± 33.90 Kcal/100 g of dry matter, respectively for the unripe arils and the ripe ones. All these results show that these arils have an appreciable nutritional value and can contribute to food safety. This justifies their food uses.