Physical characterization of the fruit and nutritional value and microbiology quality of the Pentadesma butyracea fruit pulp collected from various parks in Benin

Abstract

In Benin, Pentadesma butyracea fruit pulp undergoes significant post-harvest loss due to its low valorization. The collected fruits in five parklands from a survey of transformer's perception were characterized through their visual observations, the determination of their dimensions and pulp proportions. The nutritional value of pulp was evaluated through its chemical characterization. The results of this study revealed that four shapes (ellipsoid, globular, ovoid, ellipsoid twisted) identify the physical aspect of P. butyracea fruits in the P. butyracea parklands. The average length, diameter at the equator, mass and pulp proportion of fruits were 130.93 mm, 86.98 mm, 125.63 g and 35.79%, respectively. The physicochemical characterization showed that the P. butyracea fruit pulp contained 3.37-3.41 pH, 3.33-4.61% protein, 20.37 – 20.78% fiber, 2.78-3.57% ash, 6.31-6.51% crude lipid, 85.77-86.47% moisture, 21.54-23.22 mg/ml total phenolics, 0.73-1.03% acidity titratable, 65.10 – 66.94% carbohydrates, 335.75-338.99 kcal calorie and minerals (Ca, Fe, Zn, Mn). The antioxidant activity result showed that the P. butyracea fruit pulp is a valuable source of antioxidant pigments. Faecal coliforms are not detected in pulps and the aerobic mesophilic bacteria, yeasts and moulds, and Staphylococcus aureus were below detection level in P. butyracea fruit pulps.