REVIEW: CORRELATION BETWEEN OIL, PROTEIN AND CARBOHYDRATE CONTENT OF PLANT SEEDS, SKIN AND FRUIT PULP

Carbohydrate, protein and oil are major products stored in specialized structures of the plants such as seeds, fruit pulp and tubers. Analysis of the contents of these products is very important for estimating quality of food. This review analyses and correlates the content of carbohydrate, protein and lipid in seed, fruit pulp, and seed coat of ninety-six plants. Data were based on the storage organ (seed, skin, and fruit pulp). The value for the oil content of the fruits ranged from 0.020±0.0031 % (Carica papaya peel) to 73.20±1.90 % (Elaeis guineensis pulp); protein content was 0.72±0.07 % (Persia americana unripe skin) to 68.40±0.00 % (dried watermelon seeds) while that of carbohydrate was between 0.69±0.20 % (Hura crepitans seed) and 93.13±1.04 % (Carica papaya pulp). The mean of the oil, protein and carbohydrate content of the ninety-eight seeds, skin, fruit pulp and seed coat altogether were 22.02±18.45 %, 29.70±19.59 % and 70.65±13.02 % respectively. Correlation analysis showed that there is a positive correlation between oil and protein content, negative correlation between carbohydrate and protein content and no correlation between oil and carbohydrate content of the samples. It is therefore ascertained that there is a direct relationship between oil and protein content, an inverse relationship between carbohydrate and protein content, and no established relationship between oil and carbohydrate content of plant seeds, skin, and fruit pulp.