PROXIMATE, VITAMIN AND ELEMENTAL ANALYSES OF TIGER NUT (CYPERUS ESCULENTUS)


Tiger nut is enjoyed by everyone who eats it, primarily due to its sweet taste. It is believed to have some nutritional benefits that are essential for the proper functioning of the body. The aim of this study was to determine the proximate, vitamin and some elemental compositions of tiger nut. Standard analytical, UV-visible spectroscopic and AAS techniques were used for the proximate, vitamin and elemental analyses of the sample. The results of the proximate analysis showed that the ash content was 5.395%, moisture content: 79.810%, crude fibre: 0.495%, crude fat: 3.433%, crude protein: 7.35% and carbohydrate 3.517%.Vitamin A was 17.619 mg/kg, vitamin B1 (0.0552 mg/kg),vitamin B2(0.552 mg/kg), vitamin B3 (0.366mg/kg), vitamin B6 (0.013 mg/kg),vitamin B9 (14.790 mg/kg), vitamin B12 (1.538 mg/kg), vitamin C (13.3 mg/kg), vitamin D (11.712 mg/kg). Tigernut contains significant amount of Mg (10.326 ppm), K (2.520 ppm), Na (4.300 ppm), Zn (4.087 ppm), Fe (2.819 ppm), Hg (0.762 ppm), Cu (0.370 ppm) and Cd (0.219 ppm) but Pb and Ca were not detected. The implication of the results is that these vitamins and elements that are contained in tiger nut could be extracted by pharmaceutical industries and used to produce natural food and drug supplements but Hg and Cd should be selectively extracted to avoid their harmful effects in the body. Keywords: Tiger nut, Proximate, Vitamin, Elemental Analyses


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