TITLE:
Nutritional Potential of Parkia biglobosa Fruits Pulp Harvested in Senegal
AUTHORS:
Omar Touré, Oumar Ibn Khatab Cissé, Mamadou Faye, Papa Guédel Faye, Nicolas Cyrille Ayessou, Mady Cissé
KEYWORDS:
Parkia biglobosa, Fruit, Pulp, Physico-Chemical and Biochemical Characteristics
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.15 No.12,
December
13,
2024
ABSTRACT: Parkia biglobosa is a non-wood forest product whose resources are used in food and pharmacopoeia. The pulp has interesting nutritional qualities. African locust bean fruits harvested in Senegal are characterised by low moisture (9.78% to 12.31%), which is crucial for long storage. The pulp is slightly acidic (pH = 4.84 to 5.16). It is also very rich in sugar, with a minimum concentration of 30.8g/100g, and is mainly made up of reducing sugars. Carotenoids are abundant in the pulp (on average 16.75 mg/100 g) and β-carotene is the main carotenoid. As for minerals, K and Mg are the most abundant, with average concentrations of 451.33 mg/100 g and 300.67 mg/100 g respectively. In addition, heavy metals such as arsenic, lead and cadmium are below the detection threshold (