Nutritional quality of raw and processed unripe <i>Carica papaya</i> fruit pulp and its contribution to dietary diversity and food security in some peasant communities in Nigeria

Abstract

Processed unripe Carica papaya fruit pulp is used as soup ingredient in some Nigerian communities but the nutritional value of the variously processed forms is largely unknown. The thrust of this study was to determine the nutritional quality of traditionally processed unripe C. papaya fruit pulp using AOAC methods. The proximate evaluation of the raw, dried-uncooked and dried-cooked samples revealed variation in nutrient contents (g/100 g): moisture (7.84±0.15-26.07±0.04), carbohydrate (55.82±0.18-63.00±0.58), protein (12.49±0.01-16.50±0.29), fat (0.94±0.04-3.30±0.06), ash (3.45±0.08-5.60±0.06) and crude fibre (1.89±0.01-3.53±0.12). The dried-uncooked sample was found to have the highest mineral content (p<0.05) compared with the raw and dried-cooked samples. Aside potassium, iron and selenium which were significantly higher (p<0.05) in the raw (199.33±12.25 mg/100 g, 0.28±0.03 mg/100 g and 1.62±0.09 mg/100 g respectively) than dried-cooked (94.67± 1.76 mg/100 g, 0.17±0.02 mg/100 g and 1.37±0.12 mg/100 g respectively), the composition of other minerals was similar in the two samples. In the same vein, the vitamin content of the raw fruit pulp was significantly reduced (p<0.05) by the sun-drying and cooking. There were notable decreases in the values of non-nutrients except for the levels of flavonoids and cardenoloids which did not differ in the three samples. Overall, unripe C. papaya fruit pulp was found to be rich in nutrients; traditional processing may not adversely affect its proximate composition. However, the appreciable leach in vitamins and minerals can be supplemented with other good sources via complementary nutrition.

Evaluation of the Nutritive Values of Carica Papaya Fruit peels as A Potential Ingredient in Livestock Nutrition

“…This further confirms that the peels of Carica papaya (ripe and unripe) as presented in this study are sufficient to meet the magnesium need of cattle. The results are in contrast with the observations of Martial-Didier et al ( 2017) who reported 19.11 mg/100g for the ripe peels of Carica papaya and 22.33 mg/100g reported for the unripe fruits of Carica papaya by Okon et al (2017).…”

Vitamin-C and Mineral Composition Analysis of Some Fresh Vegetables in Patuakhali, Bangladesh

“…As shown in Table 2, Amaranthus cruentus contained the largest amount of magnesium (210.1±.29 mg/100g) among the studied In Amaranthus Cruentus, authors found magnesium as 248 mg/100g [18,24], Valcárcel-Yamani and Lannes [16] found ranged at 279.2 -319.0 mg/100g which was higher than the present study. Okon et al [25] found 22.33± 0.88 mg/100g in raw Carica papaya, Ali et al [26] as ranged between 10 to 33 mg/100g which was contrasting with present research. In this study, Solanum lycopersicum contains the lowest amount of magnesium 9±.45 mg/100g.…”

Phytochemical analysis, proximate composition and antinutritional factors of <i>Corchorus oliterius</i> plant

“…Dietary fats also increase the palatability of food by absorbing and retaining flavours (Antia et al, 2006;Ilodibia et al, 2014). The relatively low fat in C. oliterius shows that the leaves can be recommended as weight reducing diet and can therefore be consumed in large quantities with safety without risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity and other related diseases (Okon et al, 2017;Loucou et al, 2018). The ash content of a plant part is a reflection of its mineral elements.…”