Proximate, Anti-Nutrient and Vitamin Composition of Full-Fat and Defatted Seed Flour of Telfairia occidentalis

Abstract

Studies were conducted to determine the proximate and anti-nutrient composition of full-fat and defatted seed flour of Telfairia occidentalis (fluted pumpkin) using standard procedures. The defatted seed flour (DSF) indicated higher protein content (46.55%) while the full-fat seed flour (FSF) presented a value of 10.20%. The lipid (35.78%), carbohydrate (42.27%), and caloric values (531.90 Kcal/100 g) obtained for FSF were respectively higher than values of similar determinations for DSF. The anti-nutritional analyses of the FSF showed slightly higher oxalate content (44.00 mg/100 g) while cyanide, phytate and tannin levels were higher in DSF. The vitamin A composition of FSF (9.18 mg/100 g) was higher than that of DSF (0.84 mg/100 g) while DSF indicated higher vitamin C (74.44 mg/100g) content. These results revealed that the seed flour of Telfairia occidentalis contains an appreciable amount of nutrients and vitamins. The levels of toxicants in both FSF and DSF samples were low and below toxic levels. The seed flour of Telfairia occidentalis can be exploited as a cheap and valuable source of vegetable protein in fortified food products formulation.