Comparative Study on the Proximate and Selected Sugar Composition of Raw and Processed Breadfruit

Abstract

Introduction: African bread fruit possesses great promise as a dietary source for humans. Its seeds, when processed are considered to be nutritious and healthy.  There are limited information on the sugar profiles of African breadfruit, which has limited its utilization as a dietary source for humans. Objective: The study evaluated the proximate composition and sugar profiles of raw and processed breadfruit. Methods: The samples used were the raw, boiled and toasted forms of breadfruit. Standard procedures were followed for the proximate composition and gas chromatography was used to determine the sugar composition. The statistically differences between the groups at p<0.05 was tested using ANOVA. Results: The study’s findings showed that in comparison to the boiled and toasted forms, the raw form had significantly higher percentage of carbohydrate (81.10), crude protein (1.73), ash (2.93) and crude fibre (4.80). The boiled had significantly higher moisture (19.49) than raw and toasted forms. The sugar profiling revealed that the concentration(mg/100g) of glucose (13.77), and xylose (3.42) was significantly higher in the raw compared to the processed forms. D-fructose (3.93) was significantly higher in the boiled form while D-Galacturonic acid (5.76) and D-Glucuronic acid (8.57) were significantly higher in the toasted form. Conclusion: The findings suggest that breadfruit is a good source of carbohydrates and can be used as sustainable food and can help to alleviate malnutrition among humans.