Ackee Aril Research Articles

Nutritional evaluation, amino acid, and fatty acid properties of boiled ackee arils

Nutritional evaluation, amino acid, and fatty acid properties of boiled ackee arils

Evaluating the Effects of Drying Temperatures on the Nutritional and Bioactive Quality of Ackee Aril Apples

This study investigates the impact of different drying temperatures on the nutritional and bioactive properties of ackee aril apples (Blighia sapida), a tropical fruit with economic potential in Jamaica and a significant source of nutrition. Fresh ackee aril apples were harvested, cleaned, and subjected to drying using both open-sun drying and an oven dryer at various temperatures (40°C, 50°C, 60°C, 65°C, and 70°C). Nutritional properties, including moisture content, fat, protein, ash, fiber, and carbohydrate content, were analyzed using standard methods. Bioactive quality parameters, such as total phenolic content, vitamin C, and flavonoid content, were also determined. Higher drying temperatures led to reduced moisture content and a more rapid decrease in moisture, with the lowest moisture content achieved at 70°C. The study revealed significant variations in nutritional components during drying, including a decrease in ash content, an increase in protein content, and a notable rise in crude fibre content. The carbohydrate content increased with drying temperature, and metabolic energy was calculated to assess the energy potential. Bioactive quality parameters, such as flavonoids, total phenolic content, and vitamin C, increased with drying temperature, suggesting the potential of dried ackee aril apples as a nutraceutical. This study demonstrates the impact of drying temperatures on the nutritional and bioactive properties of ackee aril apples, highlighting their potential as a valuable dietary component with economic and health benefits. The results emphasize the importance of drying as a preservation technique for extending the shelf life of this highly perishable fruit.

Pasting and Dough Rheological Properties of Ackee (Blighia sapida) Aril Flour: A Contribution to the Search for Wheat Flour Substitutes.

Wheat is one of the most widely used cereals in the world. However, studies consider wheat flour doughs to be of low nutritional quality, as there is now greater public awareness of celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Therefore, consumers are demanding healthier and more varied food products. Consequently, wheat flour is being replaced fully or partially by flours from other sources with higher quality. Hence, the main objective of this work was to report the effect of blending wheat flour with ackee aril flour, until the total replacement of wheat flour, on pasting and dough rheological properties. Five different levels of blending were analyzed: wheat to ackee aril flour mass ratios of 100 : 0, 75 : 25, 50 : 50, 25 : 75, and 0 : 100. Pasting properties (pasting temperature, peak viscosity, ease of cooking, swelling power, final viscosity at 50 °C, and thixotropy) were analyzed; and steady-state shear measurements were used to obtain consistency coefficients (K) and flow behavior indexes (n) after data was fitted to the Power Law and Herschel-Bulkley models. The gradual addition of the ackee aril flour fraction produced an increase in ash, fat, protein, and fiber content; while water and carbohydrate content showed the opposite behavior in the obtained composite flour. Consequently, the partial or full replacement of wheat flour changed the rheological properties of the produced doughs, as well as the quality of the final product. These changes were mostly related to the protein and carbohydrate content of the ackee aril flour fraction. In general, doughs showed a pseudoplastic behavior with thixotropy whose viscosity decreased as the addition of ackee aril flour was increased. Pasting properties of blends involving 25 %-75 % ackee aril flour demonstrate the feasibility of including these flours in products subjected to high processing temperatures such as canned products or even to produce chips and pasta.

Nutritional, phytochemical, glycaemic index, antihyperglycaemic properties and quality attribute of Wheat-ackee arils cookies for diabetic patients

This study examined the ability of ackee arils flour to serve as substitute for margarine in cookies production and the possibility of employing wheat-ackee arils cookies as functional food. Four samples of cookies were formulated, which include; the control, cookies with 30 g margarine (NAFC), cookies with 20 g margarine + 10 g ackee arils flour (AF1), cookies made with 10 g of margarine + 20 g of ackee arils flour (AF2), and cookies prepared from 30 g ackee arils flour (AF3). Wheat-ackee arils cookies were evaluated for physico-chemical properties, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities along with glycemic load and glycemic index. The energy values of the cookies ranged from 428.74 kcal/100 g in AF3 to 450.22 kcal/100 g in AF1, the energy values of samples were significantly (p < 0.05) lower when compared with control NAFC. The result of the cookies diameter revealed that sample AF3 have the highest mean diameter value (5.13 cm) while NAFC the control sample had the least mean value of (3.26 cm). Ackee arils cookies extract influenced the in-vitro inhibitory properties of α-amylase and α-glucosidase linked to type 2 diabetic mellitus. A combination of 20 g ackee aril and 10 g margarine showed the highest inhibitory effect of 51.35%-90.54% from 50 µg/mL- 200 µg/mL concentration for α-amylase and α-glucosidase. It may be concluded that ackee arils flour can serve as a replacement for margarine in cookies production and wheat-ackee aril cookies may be considered as a functional food.

Methanolic Leaves and Arils Extracts of Ackee (Blighia sapida)Plant Ameliorate Mercuric Chloride-Induced Oxidative Stress in Drosophila melanogaster

Ackee (Blighia sapida) has been used in traditional medicine for treating oxidative stress-induced diseases; diabetes and cancer. Ameliorative roles of Ackee leaves and arils methanolic extracts were evaluated on mercuric chloride (HgCl2) induced-oxidative stress in D. melanogaster. 1-3 days old D. melanogaster were orally exposed to different concentrations of Ackee leaves (AL), and Ackee arils (AS) extracts as well as HgCl2 in a diet for 7 days. Subsequently, survival and negative geotaxis assays, quantification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and oxidative biomarker enzymes were determined. 500 µM HgCl2 was selected based on the highest lethality, 0.2 mg/g for AL, and 0.4 mg/g for AS; they gave the highest antioxidant effects. Exposure to AL and AS plant extracts improved negative geotaxis behavior and extracts were able to ameliorate the effect of Hg2+ on catalase positively, acetylcholinesterase, glutathione-S transferase activities, increase total thiol and GSH levels and reverted increased nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide production (P&lt;0.05) when compared to the control. Our results suggest that the Hg2+ mechanism of toxicity is associated with oxidative damage, as evidenced by the alteration in the oxidative stress-antioxidant imbalance, and that extracts possess essential phytochemicals that could alleviate possibly effects of environmental pollutants such as HgCl2.

Effect of Different Processing Methods on the Quality of Ackee Fruit Arils

Ackee (Blighiasapida) fruit has a nutritional composition comparable to other commonly consumed fruits although its consumption is limited by the presence of anti-nutrients. This study investigated the effect of processing on some anti-nutrients (oxalate and phytate) as well as on ascorbate, carotenoids and phenolic compounds in ackee arils. Changes in physicochemical (pH, titratable acidity, brix and color) were also analyzed. Ackee fruit was cut into arils and cooked for 15 min either by boiling in water at 100°C or steamed or fried in oil at 180°C. The unprocessed ackee aril had a pH, titratable acidityand brix of 5.79, 0.52% and 2.70, respectively. Significant changes in these physicochemical properties were only observed in the boiled arils while the highest change in color was observed in the steam fruits. Significant reductions in ascorbate levels of 49.27, 32.86 and 56.29% were observed after boiling, steaming and frying, although these processing methods did not significantly affect carotenoid and phenol levels. The levels of the anti-nutrients reduced significantly with oxalate reducing by 22.37, 26.67 and 37.42% and phytate levels reducing by 62.50, 66.67 and 54.17%, after boiling, steaming and frying, respectively.

Effect of BreatheWay®microporous membrane on gaseous atmosphere and shelf life of ackee fruit

BreatheWay® membrane technology is a temperature responsive modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) system. The effect of BreatheWay® microporous patch coated with a polymer mixture was investigated on the arils of ackee fruit stored at 5, 10 or 15°C. The CO(2) in packages of arils stored at 5°C MAP decreased from 1.53 to 0.52%, while control increased from 0.37 to 0.43% over 10 days of storage. The CO(2) in packages of arils stored at 10°C remained at 1.82%, while 10°C control averaged 0.57% during 10 days of storage. The O(2) in MAP 10 days after storage at 5 and 10°C increased from 16.61 to 20.21% and 14.19 to 17.84%, respectively, while O(2) in control packages remained at atmospheric concentrations. The packages stored at 15°C were removed and assessed after 5 days of storage due to the presence of fungal mycelium. The C2H4 varied significantly (P≤0.05) between MAP and control for the storage temperatures of 5, 10, and 15°C. There was no significant difference in aril hue (H*) angle before and after the storage period for the temperatures of 5, 10, and 15°C. The arils stored at 5°C lost firmness but arils stored at 10 or 15°C remained at 2.5 kgf. Thus, quality attributes of ackee arils can be maintained for about 10 days postharvest with regulation of temperature and the use of BreatheWay® membrane technology.

Free Radical Scavenging Capacity, Carotenoid Content, and NMR Characterization of Blighia sapida Aril Oil.

Blighia sapida aril oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids but is however currently not utilized industrially. The oil was characterized utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). A spectrophotometric assay was conducted to determine the free radical scavenging properties and carotenoid content of the oil. Chemical shifts resonating between δ 5.30 and 5.32 in the 1H NMR are indicative of olefinic protons present in ackee aril oil which are due to the presence of oleic acid. A peak at 3006 cm−1 in the FTIR spectra confirms the high levels of monounsaturation. The oil has a free radical scavenging activity of 48% ± 2.8% and carotenoid content of 21 ± 0.2 ppm.

Effects of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on microbiological and sensory quality of ackee fruit arils (Blighia sapida Köenig) stored under refrigerated regimes

Abstract In this study, we investigated the effects of two modified atmosphere packaging films [Osmolux (Osx) and Oriented PolyPropylene (OPP)] on the microbiological and the sensory qualities of ackee fruit (Blighia sapida Köenig) arils stored during eight days under two refrigerated temperatures, 5 ±1°C and 10 ±1°C. The control samples of ackee arils were packaged in a macro-perforated highdensity polypropylene film (MP). The results showed that mesophilic aerobic bacteria (MAB), yeasts and moulds were lower under OPP, although MAB of MP was lower at 5°C. At 10°C, the pH of the ackee arils stored in Osx and OPP did not vary significantly, but the pH ofMP showed an increase from 5.32 to 5.95 and 5.83 at 5°C and 10°C, respectively. Results also showed that under OPP, weight losses were lower and averaged 0.12%and 0.19%after eight days storage at 5°C and 10°C, respectively, while the sensory quality attributes were preserved up to six days. Conclusively, OPP showed better attributes for MAP storage of ackee arils under refrigerated temperatures, although none of the two films were effective to reduce the chilling injury after the eight days storage.

Proximate Composition and Sensory Qualities of Chips Produced From Ackee Aril Flour

People have different interests as to what product ackee fruit could be used for. A preliminary survey disclosed cake, chips and rock cake to be the preferred bakery products when ackee aril is to be blend with wheat flour. The study assessed the quality of chips produced from wheat-ackee aril composite flour. Four blends of chips were prepared in the proportions: 80:20, 60:40, 50:50 and 40:60 and wheat used as control. These were used to bake chips and proximate composition and sensory attributes of the chips were examined. Results of proximate analysis showed significant increase (p≤0.05) in protein (10.2–16.9%), fat (2.1–20.2%) and fibre (0.5–3.7%) contents and significant decrease in carbohydrate (72.3–48.1%) contents with increase in ackee aril flour. There was no significant difference in the ash content of the test samples. Sensory evaluation results showed that all chips samples had high rating for all evaluated attribute. The closeness of values obtained for all chips samples to the control sample indicate a high level of acceptance of the WF-AF chips.

Physicochemical and Functional Properties of Full Fat and Defatted Ackee (&lt;i&gt;Blighia sapida&lt;/i&gt;) Aril Flours

The pulp/arils of ackee (<i>Blighia sapida</i>) were oven/freeze dried, processed into full fat and defatted flours and analyzed for some physicochemical and functional properties. Moisture, crude fat, crude protein, crude fibre, ash and carbohydrate content of the flours ranged from 4.83-7.30%, 21.42-59.54%, 11.54-23.00%, 3.83-4.08%, 8.45-9.05% and 15.13-42.48% db, respectively. Potassium (462.21-968.29 mg/100 g) and zinc (1.99-3.55 mg/100 g) were the most and least abundant minerals, respectively. Functional properties ranged from 24.09 to 39.45% solubility, 11.03 to 23.02% swelling power, 111.75 to 139.57% oil absorption capacity, 4.33 to 5.67% foaming capacity, 76.34 to 84.35% foam stability, 61.67 to 69.17% emulsion capacity and 5.83 to 46.67% emulsion stability. Generally, defatted flours had higher values for proximate composition and functional properties than the full fat flours. Oven dried ackee aril flours had higher emulsion activity and stability suggesting their potential application in foods such as, mayonnaise, yogurt, ice-cream, sausages and processed meats.

Ackee (Blighia sapida) Fruit Arils: Nutritional, Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Properties

The limited information on the health and nutritional benefits of edible arils of the ackee (Blighia sapida) tree makes it underutilized in West Africa. This study was to investigate the nutrient content, total phenols, antioxidant activity and phytochemical constituents of freeze and oven dried ackee arils. Phytochemical analysis was done using standard protocol whereas antioxidant activity and total phenol content was determined using the DPPH and Folin-Ciocalteau methods, respectively. The minerals content was determined by means of atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The moisture, crude fat, crude protein, crude fibre, ash, carbohydrate and energy content were in the range of 4.83-5.20%, 51.60-56.66%, 10.94-11.67%, 3.63-3.88%, 8.01-8.56%, 14.41-20.62% and 590.67-614.26 kcal/100g, respectively. The ackee arils also contained appreciable minerals (Ca, P, Mg, Na, K and Zn) with K (425.10-475.71 mg/100g) being the highest while Zn (1.95-2.08 mg/100g) was the least mineral. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of tannins, saponins and glycosides in the arils. The total phenolic content was 5235.04±103.9 and 5175.38±178.46 mg GAE/100g in oven-dried and freeze-dried samples, respectively. The vitamin C content was 29.6 and 35.7 mg/100 g whereas antioxidant activity was 66.0 and 29.4 % DPPH inhibition (with trolox equivalence of 91.0±9.4 and 40.6±0.6 µM TE/g) in the oven and freeze dried ackee arils, respectively. Drying method had effect on the phytochemicals and antioxidant activity of the ackee flour sample. The findings suggest that ackee aril had considerable total phenols content and antioxidant activity, which implies that the fruit aril has the potential for application in food systems to maintain food quality.

Assessment and profiling of the fatty acids in two ackee fruit (Blighia sapida Köenig) varieties during different ripening stages

The ripening of fruits is characterized by physical, chemical and biochemical compositional changes such as color, sugars and phenolic compounds. Ackee fruit is famous in Jamaica and the Caribbean. This study aimed to assess the variation of fatty acids in two varieties (cheese and butter) ackee (Blighia sapida) fruits during five different ripening stages. The total fatty acid content of ackee fruit was much higher in arils and ranged from 283.4 to 465.1 g kg(-1) dry weight (DW), while in husk they ranged from 235.2 to 465.1 g kg(-1) DW in both varieties. Total fatty acid content declined in the arils and the husks as the fruit ripened. Five major fatty acids were found: palmitic acid (C16:0) and stearic acid (C18:0), oleic acid (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2) and linolenic acid (C18:3). In the arils, oleic acid was found at the highest concentration, followed by palmitic, stearic, linoleic and last linolenic acid. The unsaturated:saturated ratio of fatty acids varied from 1.23 to 3.26 in the arils of both varieties, and from 1.03 to 5.05 in the husk. Monounsaturated:polyunsaturated fatty acids ranged from 8.56 to 25.19 in the arils and from 0.62 to 2.33 in the husk. The results show that ackee arils contain much higher levels of fats than the husk and the major fatty acid in the arils was oleic acid (Δ9-cis-oleic acid, an omega n-9), while in the husk unsaturated fatty acids were higher than the saturated ones. Oleic acid was the major fatty acid in both varieties, and aril fatty acid content was 10-20 times higher than in the husk. In both varieties, unsaturated fatty acids were relatively higher than saturated ones; however, total fatty acids showed a decline with ripening for arils and husk tissues.

Variation in the chemical parameters of oil extracted from arils of Blighia sapida (ackee) with the degree of fruit ripeness

The chemical properties of oil from arils of both ripe and unripe ackee (Blighia sapida) were evaluated with a view to investigating the variations in their domestic and industrial applications. The chemical analyses of ripe and unripe aril oils respectively in different locations showed the percentage yield of oil from 54.91±2.75 to 78.25±3.91; 37.78±1.51 to 54.61 ± 2.18, iodine values of 90.0 ± 2.70 to 94.5 ± 2.84; 119.71 ± 5.99 to 131.71 ± 6.39 mg/g oil, saponification values of 190.68 ± 5.72 to 201.73 ± 6.05; 176.17 ± 7.05 to 198.15 ± 7.9 mg KOH/g. Both ripe and unripe ackee arils have peroxide value less than 10mEq/kg and acid value less than 4.0mgKOH/g. The variations between ripe and unripe ackee arils oil may prove useful in their application as cooking oils and industrial raw materials.

Physico-chemical properties of Blighia sapida (ackee) oil extract and its potential application as emulsion base

Oil extracted from the ripe ackee (Blighia sapida L) aril was characterized by the classical titrimetric and gravimetric analyses following the British Pharmacopoeia (BP) procedures. Dynamic and kinematic viscosities as well as the true density of the lipid were determined. The sample was subjected to instrumental polarimetric and gas chromatographic analyses. In each test, arachis oil (BP) and/or oleic acid was used as reference. The extraction and purification method produced 37.0 ± 4.9%, on dry weight basis, of bright-yellow oil with characteristic roasted ackee scent. Acid, ester, hydroxyl and saponification values were 1.83 (±0.01), 64.52 (±0.18), 28.01 (±0.04) and 743 (±0.19) respectively. Its specific gravity was 0.905 (±0.008) while the optical rotation was 1.453. The gas chromatography showed several well-defined peaks with two peaks at elution times of 15.41min (n-hexane) and 17.44 min (oleics acid). The sample has comparable specific gravity, viscosities and true density values as arachis oil BP. On the other hand, it contains higher levels of saponifiable matters, free acid and hydrolysable matters than arachis oil. The characteristic properties of ackee oil suggest potential for its application as pharmaceutical base and may satisfy some of the deficiencies of arachis and, possibly, some other vegetable oils. Key words: Ackee oil, extraction, characterization, pharmaceutical base.

PROCESSING OF ACKEE FRUIT (BLIGHIA SAPIDA L.): PRESENT AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

The ackee (Blighia sapida), a tropical fruit belonging to the Sapindaceae family, has its origin in West Africa but has traversed the Atlantic Ocean making the Caribbean its home where it grows wildly and also cultivated. Because of its content of the toxic compound hypoglycin A, ackee arils were subjected to marketing and export restrictions. However, and with recent toxicological and biochemical studies which demonstrated that toxicity of ripe ackee is extremely low and arils would be consumed, a technological process of arils canning was developed (US Patent 1982967B1). The process consists of mixing 26 to 36 whole or diced arils with 1.5% brine and then the total is canned and sealed. The cans are sterilized at 210°C for 15 min, and temperature should be strictly below the boiling point so that the canned arils remain firm and retain good flavor. The canned arils are exported to the United Kingdom and USA where they are welcomed by Jamaican immigrants and autochtons. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States restricts the limit of hypoglycin A to 100 ppm.