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Effect of boiling on the proximate, anti-nutrients and amino acid composition of raw <i>Delonix regia</i> seeds


SA Abdullahi
GM Abdullahi

Abstract

Raw and boiled Delonix regia seeds were analyzed for organic matter, ash, crude protein, crude carbohydrate, crude fibre, crude lipid, gross energy anti-nutrients and amino acids using standard procedures and methods. The contents of crude protein (487.19g kg-1) and lipid (65.0g kg-1) were significantly (p< 0.05) lowered in the boiled seeds, while the crude fibre (63.7g kg-1) significantly (p<0.05) increased, other nutrients were unaffected by boiling. The antinutrients tannins (830.2g kg-1), trypsin inhibitory activity (141.0 TIV g-1), hydrocyanic acid (587.1mg kg-1) total oxalate (9.6mg kg-1), phytic acid (98.0mg kg-1) and HCN (92.4mg kg-1) significantly (p<0.05) reduced in the boiled seeds. Most amino acids were essentially unaffected by boiling, others like cysteine, glutamicacid, glycine, lysine, methionine and proline reduced significantly (p<0.05). It is concluded that raw Delonix regia seeds contain high antinutrients and may be unsuitable as feed ingredient but boiling reduces the anti-nutritive substances in the raw seeds.

Keywords: anti-nutrients, boiling, Delonix regia seeds, proximate content, amino acids

Nigerian Food Journal Vol. 23 2005: 128-132

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