Micronutrients and anti-nutritional composition of ‘kpaakpa’ (Hildegardia barteri) seed flours

The study investigates the micronutrient and anti-nutritional composition of ‘kpaakpa’ (Hildegardia barteri) seed flours. Defatted and undefatted samples of ‘kpaakpa’ (H. barteri) seed flours were produced. The mineral, vitamin and anti-nutrient composition of the flour samples were determined. Results of mineral composition showed calcium, copper, iron and potassium contents to be 30.00 mg/100g, 0.84 mg/100g, 3.67 mg/100g and 1.62 mg/100g, respectively, for the defatted flour; 27.33 mg/100g, 0.68 mg/100g, 0.86 mg/100g and 2.40 mg/100g, respectively for the undefatted flour sample. For the defatted flour, high calcium content indicated that the seed could be a valuable calcium supplement, especially, in calcium deficient diets. Furthermore, results obtained for vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K were 1769.13 µg/100g, 8.25 µg/100g, 67.85 mg/100g and 10.31 mg/100g, respectively for the defatted flour and 5759.10 µg/100g, 15.87 µg/100g, 78.50 mg/100g and 11.53 mg/100g for the undefatted flour. The high vitamin A content revealed that the seed could be a good supplement for foods with low vitamin A and could be a remedy to blurred vision. The results of the anti-nutrient determination showed that the composition of phytate, oxalate, tannin and cyanide of defatted seed flour were 0.37, 0.14, 0.93 and 0.04%, respectively and 0.34, 0.05, 0.60 and 0.06% for the undefatted seed flour. The low anti-nutritional content particularly cyanide makes the seed more suited for food formulation.