M.O. Aremu
Department of Chemistry, Nasarawa State University, P.M.B. 1022, Keffi, Nigeria
C.C. Nweze
Department of Biochemistry, Nasarawa State University, P.M.B. 1022, Keffi, Nigeria
P. Alade
Department of Chemistry, Nasarawa State University, P.M.B. 1022, Keffi, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
A study was conducted to determine the suitability of six different spices (pepper, garlic, ginger, onion, curry leaf and tomatoes) with a view to appraising their nutritive values. For this purpose, crude protein and amino acid composition were determined using standard analytical techniques. The result gave crude protein content in percentage as; pepper (20.11), garlic (19.94), ginger (11.43), onion (10.36), curry leaf (25.67) and tomatoes (19.83). The Total Amino Acid (TAA) of pepper, garlic, ginger, onion, curry leaf and tomatoes were: 48.40, 66.25, 39.21, 40.21, 78.08 and 40.30 g/100g crude protein, respectively. The order of calculated isoelectric point (pI) was curry leaf > garlic > pepper > onion = tomatoes > ginger while that of Predicted Protein Efficiency Ratio (P-PER) was garlic > curry leaf > ginger > pepper > onion > tomatoes. The contents of Essential Amino Acid (EAA) in all the spice samples are generally lower than FAO/WHO recommended values except curry leaf which had a balance content of all the EAAs and garlic that was adequate only in Leu and Phe + Tyr based on FAO/WHO provisional pattern. So curry leaf is considered to be a valuable protein source for the human diet.
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How to cite this article
M.O. Aremu, C.C. Nweze and P. Alade, 2011. Evaluation of Protein and Amino Acid Composition of Selected Spices Grown in the Middle Belt Region of Nigeria. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition, 10: 991-995.
DOI: 10.3923/pjn.2011.991.995
URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=pjn.2011.991.995
DOI: 10.3923/pjn.2011.991.995
URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=pjn.2011.991.995
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