ABSTRACT

The seed coat of egusi was evaluated in this study. The seed coat of egusi was incinerated and the mineral composition of the ashes assayed using flame photometry for the determination of sodium and potassium components, while calcium and magnesium were determined using a spectrophotometer. Phosphorus was determined using vanadomhybdate (yellow) spectrometry. Iron and zinc were also determined using absorbance of the solution on spectrophotometer. The egusi seed coat was also evaluated for proximate determination. Results of the proximate composition showed that egusi seed coat is composed of 6.01% moisture, 93.98% dry matter, 13.75% ash, 28.98% crude fiber, 8.95% crude protein, 2.11% fat, and 40 ;0% carbohydrate. The value of the minerals analyzed are: 0.32mg for sodium, 0.25mg for calcium, 0.17mg for magnesium, 0.75mg for zinc, 0.69mg for potassium, 0.46mg for phosphorus and 1.66mg for iron. Based on the result of the investigation, it was generally observed that egusi seed coat is nutritious but contains smaller quantities of mineral which is lower than those reported for some foods. However, its Iron content is appreciable.