Comparative study of the chemical composition of two cultivars of melon: Lagenaria abyssinica (Egunsin Bojuri) and Citrullus lanatus (Egusin Sewere)
Keywords:
melon, Citrullus lanatus, Lagenaria abyssinica, proximate, mineral, phytochemicalAbstract
This study aimed at comparing the chemical composition of the seed flour of two cultivars of melon. The proximate, phytochemical and mineral analysis were carried out on the two cultivers (Lagenaria abyssinica (Bojuri) and Citrullus lanatus (Thumb) Mansf Sewere) of melon. AOAC 2010 method was adopted to determine the proximate analysis such as: moisture, ash, protein, fat, fibre and carbohydrate content. Mineral contents were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry while Phytochemical analysis was determined using standard procedures. The results obtained from proximate analysis showed that the ash content (3.64±0.02), crude protein (26.34±0.01), and crude fat (32.67±0.01of Citrullus lanatus (Sewere) are significantly higher than Lagenaria abyssinica (Bojuri) (2.24±0.01), (23.72±0.02) and (26.73±0.01) respectively. While Lagenaria abyssinaca (Bojuri) had significantly higher percentage of carbohydrate (39.95±0.06), The mineral analysis also indicated higher value for Citrullus lanatus (Sewere) in Iron, Calcium and potassium compared to Lagenaria abyssinica (Bojuri) (151.45±0.21, 144.13±0.04), (0.35±0.16, 0.19±0.04 and (6.29±0.42, 4.83± 0.23) respectively. The result phytochemicals analysis of the two cultivars of melon indicated that the both melons were not significantly different from each other. This study revealed that Citrullus lanatus (Sewere) seed flour is a better source of important nutrients such as fat, protein and minerals. However, Lagenaria abyssinica (Bojuri) could be recommended as a better source of energy.
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References
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