Sugar and dietary fibre components of tamarind (tamarindus indica l.) fruits from Nigeria

Abstract

Tamarind (

Tamarindus indica  L.), a fruit tree belonging to the Ceasalpinicae family, grows naturally in many tropical and subtropical regions. It grows wild on wastelands, backyards and roadsides in the Savannah region of Nigeria. Tamarind fruit, though, has considerable industrial potential, is largely underutilised in Nigeria. Mature tamarind fruits, collected from nineteen randomly selected major towns of the twenty states in the Savannah region on Nigeria, were analysed for their sugar and dietary fibre components, using standard methods. Sugars  identified in tamarind fruits included glucose (1.1-4.4 %), galactose (0.1-0.4 %), fructose (0.7-3.2 %), arabinose (0.1-0.3 %) and xylose (0.2-0.4 %). Dietary fibre components of tamarind fruits were 4.4-5.4 % NDF, 6.0-7.4% ADF, 2.6-3.7 % lignin, 1.5- 2.2 % hemicellulose and 2.8-4.2 % cellulose. Consumption of tamarind fruits could lead to improved health of Nigerians, especially diabetic and heart patients.