ABSTRACT

The chemical composition of an underutilized spice (Cussonia bateri) in south east, Nigeria was evaluated. The seeds of the spice were procured from orie ugba market, Umuahia, after which it was sorted, washed with water, oven dried using a hot air oven at 550C for 6 hours and milled into powder. The proximate content, mineral content, vitamin content and phytochemical properties of the spice were evaluated using standard analytical methods. The data generated were statistically analyzed using one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and reported as mean of triplicate analyses.                                                                                                                     The study showed that the spice had 6.7% moisture content, 9.18% crude protein, 25.71% fat, 3.42% crude fibre, 3.72%  ash, 51.23% carbohydrate and 473.15 Kcal/100g of energy. The result of the mineral content revealed that the spice contained 37.34mg/100g of calcium, 22.89mg/100g of magnesium, 47.72mg/100g of phosphorus, 69.67mg/100g of potassium, 34.70mg/100g of sodium, 1.13mg/100g of iron and 0.84mg/100g of zinc. The result of the vitamin content showed that the spice had 1.69µg/100g of pro vitamin A, 2.69mg/100g of vitamin B1, 0.90mg/100g of vitamin B2, 0.70mg/100g of vitamin B3, 0.64mg/100g of vitamin B6, and 4.93mg/100g of vitamin C. the result of the phytochemical properties revealed that the spice contained 6.45mg/100g of tannin, 3.07mg/100g of flavonoid, 2.29mg/100g polyphenol and 0.82mg/100g of phytate.                                                                                                                               Regarding the obtained results, this spice can be considered as potential source of crude fibre, fat, carbohydrate, calorie and also micronutrients like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iron and zinc needed for development of human body, bone health and body metabolism. The phytochemical compounds such as flavonoids, phytate, polyphenol and tannins in the spice are unneglectable. It was observed that the proximate composition, mineral, vitamin and phytochemical properties of jansa seeds spice compared with other indigenous and well known spices. The results obtained from this study indicated that the spice is a good raw material for the production of some medicinal drugs and can be used in folk medicine for the treatment and prevention of some diseases.