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DETERMINATION OF ANTI-OXIDANT, NUTRITIONAL AND ANTI-NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF Garcinia kola AND Chrysophyllum albidum FROM RAINFOREST ECOSYSTEM OF ONDO STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Plants are important in human being everyday existence. They provide our foods, produce the oxygen that we breathe, and use as raw materials for many industrial products such as clothes, foot wears and so many others. Plants also provide raw materials for our buildings and in the manufacture of dyes, perfumes, pesticides and drugs [1]. These plants contain the wild fruits currently used for their fruits, seeds, kernels, flowers, sap and other edible products. Indeed, these elements are important in diets food and could powerfully help to solve or minimize the problems of food insecurity [2] [3]. Wild fruits are an important (quality and quantity) part of the diet, especially for children [4]. Some wild fruits also can be kept for 4 - 5 months during the dry season [5]. It is generally accepted that the concentration of vitamin C in the indigenous wild fruits is higher than that in exotic fruits [6]. The protein content of seeds and kernels of native species is high. The wild fruits are also good sources of carbohydrate, calcium, magnesium and potassium [7] [8]. Kola nut (Cola spp.) belongs to the Steruliacea plant family with over 20 species native to the Africa tropical rain forest [9]. Cola nitida and Cola acuminata are the most common Cola species used. These species are sources of caffeine in processing and pharmaceutical industries and often chewed by some ethnic’s group settings as stimulants [10]. The presence of other chemicals in kola nuts such as kolanin and theobromine also makes them suitable for use in drug preparation [11]. In addition, research has shown some potential uses of kola nut in the production of wine, chocolate and many non-alcoholic beverages [12]. Apart of those two species cited above, there is Garcinia kola (angiospermae) belonging to the Clusiaceae family [13]. The seeds of G. kola are currently used in traditional medicine in many herbal formulations and have potential therapeutic benefits due largely to the activity of their flavonoids and other bioactive compounds [14]-[16].

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Against this background the following questions are raised:

1) what is the composition of nutritional compounds of studying Benin’s kola nuts?

2) What is the anti-nutritional profile of these three species nuts? In this direction, the essence of this research is to examine the proximate, nutritional and anti-nutrient composition of three species of kola nut collected in Benin.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

A limitation of this study is the use of survey research. There may be surveys returned that were not filled out truthfully or with responses that do not reflect true intentions. The results will not be generalizable beyond the population or sample used.