Background and objectives: In many African countries, especially Nigeria, the fight against malnutrition and undernourishment continues to be a primary goal of development. In this regard, various strategies including the consumption of plants and vegetables are being applied. The kernel of Bush mango, which is widely consumed in Nigeria, has been broadly investigated in the literatures, while there is little information about the nutritional composition of the pulp. This study examined the nutritional composition of both kernel and pulp of the Irvingia gabonesis.
Materials and methods: The Bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis) fruits were purchased from Ogbadibo, local Government of Benue state, Nigeria, followed by sorting and washing to remove any dirt. The pulp was separated from the kernel, sun-dried for seven days, and oven-dried at 350 °C for 1 h to eliminate the moisture. The dried samples were milled separately with an electric food blender, and packed in a separate clean polythene bag before analysis. The phytochemicals, antioxidants, proximate composition, and amino acids were determined in the samples according to the standard analytical techniques.
Results and conclusion: Amounts of saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, cyanide, and phytate were higher in the kernel, while oxalate and total phenols were higher in the pulp. The results of antioxidants composition revealed that carotenoids were the highest antioxidant in the kernel (4.12 g/100g) and pulp (1.73 g/100g) of Irvingia gabonesis fruit. Study of proximate composition revealed that carbohydrate was the most abundant macronutrient in the kernel (56.96 %) and pulp (61.02 %) of Bush mango. Fatty acids and energy were accounted as 19.19% and 1977.16 kJ/100 g of the kernel, and 16.29% and 1855.80 kJ/100 g of the pulp. Amino acid profile of the samples revealed that leucine (5.49 and 3.52 g/100 g of crude protein of kernel and pulp, respectively) and tryptophan (0.58 and 0.39 g/100 g of crude protein of kernel and pulp, respectively) were the most abundant and the lowest concentrated essential amino acids. In conclusion, the pulp and kernel of Bush mango contained low concentrations of anti-nutrients, and were found to be a good source of fat, carbohydrates, and antioxidants.