ABSTRACT

The research was carried out to find out the vitamin and mineral content of avocado and peanut spread blend. The avocado fruits were kept at room temperature for three days to complete the ripening process. The fruits were washed with clean water, peeled, deseeded and cut into four smaller pieces to aid blending. These small pieces were finally pulverized using a domestic food blender at speed 4. The peanuts were sorted, washed, thereafter, they were transferred to a large plastic colander and salted evenly. After leaving to stand for a few minutes to hasten the water drainage, the peanuts were laid out flat on top a sack under direct sunlight for 30 minutes, then split into two batches. The first batch were spread out thinly in a flat aluminum tray and placed in the gas oven for an hour at 80⁰C, during which the peanuts were stirred intermittently to aid uniform roasting and flavor development. The second batch of peanuts were toasted at low heat, using a large frying pan, fan, and heat carrier (raw garri). After roasting, peanuts were left out to cool, peeled off the skin before blending (using Binastone dry grinder BLG-412) at a steady, controlled speed, until paste was formed. This was immediately packaged in an air-tight plastic jar and labelled. The Peanut and Avocado pastes were respectively mixed in the following ratios, i.e., Peanut: Avocado 80:20, 70:30, 60:40,50:50 and 100:0 as control. The samples were coded as SPAZ3 (80:20), SPAZ1 (70:30), SPAZ4 (60:40), SPAZ2 (50:50), SPAZ5 (100:00). The samples were analyzed for their vitamin and mineral content using AOAC (2016) methods. The data generated were statistically analysed by one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and significant differences detected using Duncan multiple range test at 95% confidence level (p<0.05). The result of the vitamin analysis showed that vitamin A content of SPAZ4 (9.51mg) was higher than other samples with a significant difference (P<0.05) and was least in sample SPAZ3 (4.27mg), vitamin A was not dictated in SPAZ5 (0.00). Vitamin E contents was highest in sample SPAZ3 (3.56mg) and was least in sample SPAZ2 (2.41mg). Vitamin B₁ contents was highest in sample SPAZ5 (0.61mg) and least in sample SPAZ3 (0.19mg) with a significant difference (P<0.05). Vitamin B₂ was highest in sample SPAZ4 (2.12mg)and least in sample SPAZ5 (0.04mg). The result of the mineral content revealed that calcium, potassium, magnesium, and iron was highest in sample SPAZ5 (87.54mg, 149.16mg, 106.67mg, 2.77mg) respectively and was least in sample SPAZ3 (23.51mg) for calcium, sample SPAZ2 (35.55mg, 15.36mg, 0.26mg) for potassium, magnesium and iron respectively. This research reveals that Avocado enhances vitamin A content in spread blends. This blend offers a nutrient-dense alternative to traditional peanut butters, making it a valuable option for health-conscious consumers. This study conclusively demonstrated the nutritional benefits of combining avocado and peanut in various proportions, providing valuable insights for food manufacturers and consumers seeking healthier spread options.