Proximate composition and micronutrient potentials of Dialium guineense wild growing in Benin

Abstract

Dialium guineense wild is a tree growing exclusively in tropical Africa. Fruits from this tree are consumed by populations since many centuries. So it takes part to satisfy their nutritional needs and display an historical role as nutrients provider. Nutrient composition of the fresh fruit pulps was determined using standard methods of AOAC and those of European norms. Like the other fruits, it emerges that the fruit pulp is rich in minerals with interesting values for iodine (04.34 ± 0.12 mg/100 g), iron (14.75 ± 0.25 mg/100 g), calcium (70.14 ± 10 mg/100 g) and potassium (366 ± 0.26 mg/100 g). Bio-molecules analyzes have shown a high content in total carbohydrates (80 ± 1.8 g/100 g) and crud lipid (09.21 ± 0.50 g/100 g).Crud proteins content is (6.12 ± 0.33 g/100 g). Ascorbic acid was found in the pulp (4.5 ± 0.01 mg/100 g) with 9.36 ± 1.36 g/100 g moisture content. This investigation sought to provide data on the fruit pulp composition for judicious dietetic and socio-economic uses