ABSTRACT

African breadfruit seeds were collected at an interval of seven days during storage, milled to flour and analyzed for the initial content and the effect of storage as the storage times increased. The proximate, anti-nutrient, vitamin, mineral and physical properties of the samples were analyzed during storage for seven weeks. The result of the proximate composition showed the values of crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre, ash, moisture, and CHO ranged from 20.14 to 17.05%, 2.40 to 1.40%, 1.50 to 3.30%, 2.40 to 2.15%, 8.40 to 4.65% and 65.12 to 71.45% respectively from week 0 to week 7. They were all found to decrease significantly as the week of storage progressed. The result of the anti-nutritional properties of the sample showed a gradual decrease as storage time increased and differed significantly for tannin (0.260-0.115mg/i oog), oxalate (6.315-5.050mg/i oog), phytate (1.850-i. 135mg/bOg), saponin (0.315-0.060mg/bOg) for week 0 to week 7. The result of the mineral properties ranged from 4.75 to 3.20mg/b OOg, 6.265 to 4.200 mg/bOg, 365.60 to 308.34 mg/bOg, 420.47 to 320.45 mg/i00g and 160.42 to 127.36 mg/b 00g for Mg, Ca, Na, P, and K respectively. The vitamin content also decreased as the storage time increased from week 0 to week 7 for vitamin Bi (0.246mg/b oog), B2 (6.230-4.070mg/bOg) and C (3.640-1.800mg/bOg) respectively. The physical properties also showed increase in cooking time (48.55-182mm), decrease in volume (980.00-819.00cm3), weight (600-320g) respectively. The sensory scores showed that African bread fruit porridge prepared at week 0 were more acceptable than the porridge prepared from the other samples as storage time increased which range from colour 8.40 to 1.20%, taste 8.15 to 1.80%, texture 8.15 to 1.75%.