Nutritional Characterization of Fruits (Thespesia garckeana Pulp and Seed) and Comparative Phytochemical and Proximate Analysis

Abstract

Thespesia garckeana, commonly referred to as "Gorontula" in Nigeria and primarily grown in the country's north, is a medicinal plant utilized in several medical systems. It belongs to the Malvaceae family. Therefore, this study aimed to examine and compare the phytochemical constituents together with the proximate compositions of the fruit pulp and seeds of T. garckeana. Phytochemicals were measured using GC-MS-FID and Proximate analysis was carried out using standard AOAC methods. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software version 25. The result from the phytochemical analysis showed that there were more phytochemicals in the pulp when compared to the seed. The pulp exhibited higher levels of flavonoids such as Butein (191.86 ± 0.00 ppm), Genistein (39.85 ± 0.00 ppm), Diadzein (28.82 ± 0.00 ppm) when compared with the seeds, which has (0.60 ± 0.00 ppm), (0.97 ± 0.00 ppm) and (0.32 ± 0.00 ppm) respectively. However, the result of the proximate analysis revealed that the pulp had higher moisture content (14.54 ± 0.00 %), crude protein (8.40 ± 0.00 %), and Carbohydrate content (57.18 ± 0.00 %) when compared to the seed, which had (13.14 ± 0.00 %), (7.00 ± 0.00 %) and (41.57 ± 0.00 %), respectively. Also, the seed contained more crude fat (24.41 ± 0.00 %), crude fibre (6.39 ± 0.00 %), and ash content (7.49 ± 0.00 %) when compared with the pulp, which had (15.74 ± 0.00 %), (2.75 ± 0.00 %), and (4.14 ± 0.00 %), respectively. According to this study, the pulp and seed of Thespesia garckeana contain a variety of pharmacological and nutritional components in significant amounts that can supply the body with both secondary compounds with enormous phytomedicinal potential and basic nutrients for its therapeutic needs. The high crude fat and fibre contained in the seeds entail that they can be used as functional ingredients instead of being discarded.