Effects of Maturation and Stem Cooking on Akee Apple Aril Nutritional and Phytochemical Properties

AGUNBIADE, Shadrach Oludare and GHODARO, Osasenaga Macdonald and OSINBOLA, Israel Abiodun (2012) Effects of Maturation and Stem Cooking on Akee Apple Aril Nutritional and Phytochemical Properties. ADVANCES IN BIORESEARCH, 3 (1). pp. 3-6. ISSN 0976-4585

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Abstract

This study focused the economic potential and effects of maturity and heat treatment on akee apple aril proximate, mineral and phytochemical compositions. Fresh raw mature aril (RMA) is characterized by 57(*58) % moisture, 2.10 (*3.7) % ash, 19(*18) % fat, 3.40(*3.42) % crude protein and 9.8(*9.6) % carbohydrate. As aril matured 1.6% reduction in its ash value and about 1.6% increase in crude protein value were observed. Cooking caused insignificant loss of 0.20-0.3% in immature and mature arils. The fibre contents of arils, whether immature, mature, cooked or uncooked, remained fairly constant. Acidity of raw immature aril (RIA) decreased from 16mg/kg by 5.0mg/kg at maturity, but cooking slightly reduced the acidity of immature aril by 1.5mg/kg in contrast to loss of 10.0mg/kg in cooked mature aril (CMA). Both RIA pH (3.40) and RMA pH (6.00) got normalized to 6.2 by cooking. High tannin composition (3.10mg/kg) and low hypoglycin composition (0.9mg/kg) in RIA got reduced to 0.92 and 0.22mg/kg respectively in RMA and were both destroyed by cooking. A reduction of 31% in flavonoid resulted from maturation of aril; however heat processing had very little effect on both RIA & RMA flavonoid. The major minerals of aril are Ca, Zn, Fe and P. At maturate the concentrations of Ca, Na and P increased but the reverse was the case in Na, K and Zn. Steam cooking, did not change the sweet smell of arils, mature or immature. Immaturity characterizes RIA milky colour and distinguishes it from RMA/CMA with butter colour and cheese taste. Cooking processing makes akee aril non-hazardous as it completely destroys Hypoglycin, the causative agent of Jamaican vomiting.

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