Abstract
Kariya kernel is very rich in essential fats, oils and other valuable nutrients which may find applications in many food formulations. To harness these nutrients, processing equipment and machines are to be used. In order to effectively design these machines, the values of some physical properties of kariya nut and kernel are needed. In this study, some physical properties of the kariya nut and kernel were investigated. Results showed that mean major diameter, intermediate diameter, minor diameter and unit mass obtained at the nut moisture content of 19.83 ± 3.71 (w.b.) were 14.16 ± 0.79 mm, 10.17 ± 0.36 mm, 9.78 ± 0.28 mm and 0.503 ± 0.05g, respectively while the corresponding values obtained at the kernel moisture content of 8.89 ± 2.22% (w.b.) were 9.07 ±0.72 mm, 7.32 ±0.49 mm, 7.08 ± 0.41 mm and 0.328 ± 0.03 g, respectively. The values of calculated geometric mean diameter were 11.20 ±mm and 7.77 ± 0.36 mm, for the kariya nut and kernel, respectively. The skewness value of the sample distribution of 0.08 and -0.24 were recorded for the kariya nut and kernel, respectively. The sphericity, surface area, volume, density, bulk density and porosity were 79.27 ± 3.07%, 394.75 23.13 mm2, 738.37 ± 64.96 mm3 , 681.1 ± 20 kg/m3, 440.24 ± 0.04 kg/m3 and 36.65 ± 0.74% ; and 85.97 ± 5.27%, 189.85 ± 17.34 mm2, 246.71 ± 33.60 mm3, 1342.1 ± 136.23 kg/m3, 773.06 ± 0.06 kg/m3 and 42.28 ± 4.10% for the kariya nut and kernel respectively.
Highlights
Kariya tree (Hildegardia barteri) is cultivated majorly for its ornamental purposes
The crude protein content of kariya kernel competes reasonably with 19.8% for both sunflower and pistachio seeds, 15.6% for walnut kernel; whereas, it is less than 20% for mustard, 20.3% for linseed, 20.8% for almond seeds and 21.2 % for cashew nuts [3]
The crude fat content of kariya kernel comprises of 77% of saturated and 23% of unsaturated fatty acids
Summary
Kariya tree (Hildegardia barteri) is cultivated majorly for its ornamental purposes. Its origin is traced from West Africa. The kernels are always eaten raw or roasted like groundnuts in some parts of West Africa They are used as ingredients in some local food recipes [2]. The crude protein content of kariya kernel competes reasonably with 19.8% for both sunflower and pistachio seeds, 15.6% for walnut kernel; whereas, it is less than 20% for mustard, 20.3% for linseed, 20.8% for almond seeds and 21.2 % for cashew nuts [3]. The crude fat content of kariya kernel comprises of 77% of saturated and 23% of unsaturated fatty acids. Traditional processing of kariya nut involves sun drying of the pods, manual dehulling of the leaf-like coverage and cracking of the nut using hands or stones to obtain kernels and shell fragments (Figure 1). Methods of processing are yet to be mechanized which could reduce drudgery and create opportunity for large scale operation [5]
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