A chemical study of Tamarindus indica (Tsamiya) fruits grown in Nigeria

Abstract

The edible part (pulp) Tamarindus indica L (Tsamiya) is a leguminous tree that grows wild in the tropics (De Wit 1966;Duke and Weber 1981). It thrives well in the north of Nigeria, where the fruit is popular. The pulp is widely used for foods and beverages, and the seeds are sometimes used as a soup seasoner.In Nigeria, as in other developing countries, fruits and vegetables constitute the major available food item after cereals and tubers. Information on the chemical composition of Tamarindus indica (Tsamiya) pulp and seed grown in Nigeria is lacking, and we therefore sought to provide such data as a basis for their utilisation.The tamarind fruits, from the local market, were separated into epicarp, pulp and seed and each was then dried and ground into powder. All analyses were by standard methods (AOAC 1980). The mineral composition was determined on the ash using an EEL type flame photometer for Na and K, using a method of Allen (1 974) for phosphorus and a Pye-Unicam atomic absorption spectrophotometer for the other elements. Phytic acid was determined by the method of Allen (1974) and trypsin inhibitor activity by the method of Roy and Rao (1971).

Studies on Standardization of Enzyme Concentration and Process for Extraction of Tamarind Pulp, Variety Ajanta

“…The ascorbic acid content of the pulp ranged from 4.55 to 5.20 mg/100 g [4].It has been reported that the ascorbic acid content ranged from 3.0 to 9.0 mg per 100 g flesh from tamarind pod [8]. A similar result was observed by Anonymous [10] and Ishola et al [9]. Singh et al [11,12] reported 5.27 mg/100 g ascorbic acid in seed free wood apple fresh.…”

“…The calcium, phosphorous and iron content (mg %) of fresh pulp ranged from 402 to 405, 147 to 150 and 1.4 to 1.5 respectively [4]. Dried tamarind pulp contained 9mg% of iron 1.3 to 10.9, calcium 81 to 466 and phosphorous 86 to 190 Bhattacharya et al [13] and Ishola et al [9] reported the similar results close to the study. In the present investigation the values of tartaric acid and titratable acidity were on lower side than the values reported in the literature.…”

“…Duke [8] explained the reducing sugar and total sugar content of tamarind pulp was ranged from 16.20 to 17.02 and 20.40 to 22.05 per cent and Ishola et al [9] reported the reducing sugar and total sugar content as 25.0 to 45.0 and 41.77 per cent in flesh of tamarind.…”

Determination of Physico-Chemical Properties of Pomegranate (punica granatum L.) Fruits of Dar es Salaam Tanzania

“…The average concentration of lead in the pomegranate fruits was 0.19 ± 0.03 mg/100 g-fw, a level that is much lower than the maximum permissible limit of 3 mg/100 g-fw for lead in vegetables and thus falls within the safe limits for consumption as stated by FAO/WHO [45]. This lead level in pomegranate fruits can be attributed to the high traffic of vehicles along the Morogoro road which is near the area of sampling.…”

Evaluation of Nutrient Digestion of Tamarind Seeds Spontaneous Bioconversion in Local Timor Pigs

“…The tamarind seed is a waste from processing industry of tamarind contents of 131.3 gkg -1 crude protein nutrient, 67.1 gkg -1 crude fibers, and 48.2 gkg -1 crude fats [1] and also contains many fatty tamarinds [2]. Despite good nutrient quality, the tamarind seeds also have a hard and non-destructive seed shell structure and have anti-nutrient substances in the form of tannins 56.2 gkg -1 and antitrypsin activity of 10.8 gkg -1 are mostly located in testes or skins seeds [1].…”