Nutritional Evaluation of Cola lepidota Nut (Yellow Monkey Kola) from the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Abstract

Cola lepidota fruit is an edible plant material that is local to the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. This study was carried out to determine the nutritional potentials of Cola lepidota nut. The fruit was sourced from an outdoor outlet in Yenagoa, Bayesal State, Nigeria. The deshelled nut was blended and then subjected to proximate analysis via AOAC methods, mineral contents via atomic absorption spectrophotometry, AAS and its Vitamin C content analysed using titrimetric method. The proximate analysis showed that the nut contained moisture (18.43±0.03 %), ash (0.32±0.00 %), crude fibres (17.55±0.04 %), crude lipids (9.72±0.07 %), crude protein (19.12±0.12 %) and carbohydrate (34.86±0.08 %). The mineral analysis revealed the presence of major and trace elements such as K (2.505 mg/l), Na (2.560 mg/l), Ca (0.649 mg/l), Mg (1.043 mg/l), Fe (0.216 mg/l), Cu (0.065 mg/l), Zn (0.017 mg/l), Pb (0.000 mg/l), Cd (0.002 mg/l) and Mn (0.012 mg/l). The vitamin C analysis was revealed to be (105.35± 4.15). These results have established that C. lepidota has phytoesters, nutritional value, essential trace elements and vitamin C.

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