Assessment of nutritional and chemical characteristics of tiger nut juice consumed by inhabitants of two communities in Cross River State, Nigeria
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Abstract
Background: Monitoring and evaluation of food and their products are critical to maintaining the nutritional value of diets for healthy living. This study aims to assess the nutritional and chemical composition of tiger nut drink from two communities (Odukpani and Ikom) in Cross River State.
Methods: The tiger nut drink samples were obtained in triplicates from the study area. The beverages were analyzed for key nutrients, including moisture, ash, protein, fat, fibre, and carbohydrates, alongside essential minerals (K, Na, P, Ca, Mg, Mn, Cu, Fe, Zn) and chemical characteristics (pH, Total solids, Total titratable acidity, Total energy and % Sugar) using standard methods.
Results: The results showed marked (P< 0.05) variations in nutrients and chemical properties of tiger nut juice between the two communities in Cross River State. The most abundant of the nine mineral elements was potassium (K) with values ranging from 167.24±0.05 to 170.27±0.02, followed by phosphorus (P) with values ranging from 40.11± 0.04 to 44.13±0.06 and the least was iron (Fe) with values ranging from 0.12± 0.01 to 0.17± 0.04. The pH values ranged from 6.50±0.34 to 6.70±0.55. Other chemical characteristics were within the range safe and suitable for human consumption and promotion of human health. Moisture content was the highest, ranging from 75.77±0.33 to 76.62±0.42, followed by carbohydrate (16.34±0.32 to 18.40±0.67) and the least was ash (0.29±0.06 to 0.36±0.02).
Conclusion: The study indicated that the two samples of tiger nut juice contain reasonable quantities of nutrients which could be beneficial to human health.
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