Composition en Acides Aminés des Graines de Boscia Senegalensis Issues de Différentes Méthodes de Traitements Traditionnelles au Niger

Abstract

In Niger, during food crises, Boscia senegalensis seeds, called Anza in the local language, are one of the main subsistence food crops for rural households. The objective of this study was to determine the amino acid composition of Boscia seeds from different deamerization methods. The protein and 16 amino acid content, including all 8 essential amino acids, of uncooked and cooked seeds were determined according to standard methods. The result obtained shows that the protein content varies from 16.11 to 22.82%. The major amino acids are glutamic acid (2.32-3.33%), aspartic acid (1.71-2.36%) and phenylalanine (1.34-2.19%) while methionine, histidine, threonine and tyrosine are the limiting amino acids in all seeds. Low levels are also found for lysine (0-1.31%). The major essential amino acid is phenylalanine and the minor essential amino acids are methionine and threonine (1.34-2.19%). In general, traditional processing methods positively influence the content of proteins and certain essential amino acids in Boscia senegalensis seeds.