The fruits of some wild plants were examined for their contents of mineral elements and ascorbic acid. High levels of ascorbic acid were found in fruits of Sclerocarya birrea (403.3 mg/100 g) and Adansonia digitata (337 mg/100 g). In nine of the fruits examined, the mineral contents (Ca, P) were comparable with average values found in common fruits. The iron contents were however 2-5 times higher than the values for common fruits.

The Seeds of the fruits of some wild plants were analysed to establish their proximate compositions and the physico-chemical characteristics of the oils. The iodine values of the oils were not greater than 88 but the saponification values were in the range 157-261 mg KOH. Proximate values of the protein, oil and carbohydrate contents of the seeds suggest that they may be adequate for the formulation of animal feeds, subject to a knowledge of the levels of possible toxic substances. The Storage property of the oil from Lophira lanceolata seed were studied over a period of four weeks under conditions of light (ambient), darkness (ambient) and refrigeration. The iodine value of the oil decreased in all cases but much more so on exposure to light. In contrast, the peroxide value of the oil showed very little change under conditions of darkness and refrigeration over the same period but increased by seven fold for the photo-exposed oil.

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The Chemical compositions of the seeds of some wild plants have been investigated. The seeds of Hematostaphis berteri, Balanites aegytiaca and Ximenia americana contain high levels of oils with values in the range, 38.2-54.5% (w/w). The iodine values of the oils were determined and, for Ximenia americana, the value was high, i.e., 149.8 mg/100 g. The storage properties of the oil of Hematostaphis berteri were examined over a period of fifty six days by exposure to light at ambient temperature. The peroxide value of the oil over the period increased by 12-fold of its initial value of 27.5 mEq/kg, suggesting light susceptibility to photo-oxidative degradation. The proximate protein contents were low but the concentrations of mineral elements in the seeds examined were generally high, exceeding the values for the corresponding mesocarps by several orders of magnitude.

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