PROXIMATE, MINERAL AND FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF MELON (Leganaria sphaerica) SEED

Abstract

The chemical compositions of melon seed; leganaria sphaerica were examined. Proximate, mineral and fatty acid analysis were carried out on the shelled cucurbit specie, protein, fat content, ash content and moisture content respectively. The proximate compositions were determined by soxhlet extraction, AOAC, kjeldhal and other standard procedure. Mineral content were determined using atomic emission spectrometry, atomic absorption spectrophotometry and vanado – molybdate method, while anti - nutrient determinations were carried out using standard procedures. The result obtained from proximate analysis showed: moisture content (7.61%), ash content (2.90%), crude protein (30.30%) crude lipid (43.35%), crude fibre (4.10%) and carbohydrate (11.41%). The mineral analysis revealed that potassium have the highest value (7.60mg/100g), followed by phosphorus (3.36mg/100g), zinc (0.04mg/100g) and magnesium (2.00mg/100g), calcium (2.00mg/100g) while iron was the least (0.01mg/100g). The fatty acid composition showed that alpha tocopherol has the highest 84.41, palmitic 58.10, linoleic 38.11, oleic 16.23 and stearic was the least 10.00. The result of the study revealed that leganaria sphaerica seed flour is a good source of important nutrients such as fat, protein, fibre, and minerals. The high contents of protein and fat make these seeds valuable dietary supplements especially for the less previlage people that cannot afford meat and diary products.