Abstract:
The nutritional composition of the green stages of fruits of a FHIA hybrid (FHIA-21) and local Apem were determined in Ghana. Fresh fruits were harvested from the plantain orchard of the Crops Research Institute in Kumasi, Ghana. The standard AOAC methods were used to determine the moisture, crude protein, ash, crude fibre, potassium, iron, calcium, carbohydrate, sodium and crude fat. Pulp colour was measured with a Chromatometer (Minolta). The results showed that the nutritional composition of the hybrids were similar to that of the local Apem. The hybrids however had higher fat content (1.94%) than the local (0.22%). Apem had lower water content (53%) than the hybrids (60%). The hybrids were slightly soft due to the high moisture content. The potassium content was also higher in the hybrids (1060 mg/100 g dry weight) than the local (760 mg/100 g dry weight). The local on the other hand contain more iron (1.06 mg/100 g dry weight) than the hybrids (0.45%/100 g dry weight). The peel and pulp colours of the hybrids and the local were similar. FHIA-21 and Apem all had bright orange pulp colour which was indicative of the presence of provitamins and carotenoids. The high potassium level in the hybrid may be an advantage over the local for use as a therapy. FHIA-21 could be described as a high energy yielding carbohydrate compared to Apem.
B.M. Dzomeku, R.K. Bam , E. Abu-Kwarteng and A.A. Ankomah , 2006. Comparative Study on the Nutritional Values of FHIA-21 (Tetraploid Hybrid) and Apem (Triploid French Plantain) in Ghana. Journal of Plant Sciences, 1: 187-191.
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