Fruits are one of the oldest forms of food known to man and they present an important part of human diet in almost any culture of the world. The basic nutritional importance of fruits like other plants is assessed by their content of protein, carbohydrate, fats and oils, minerals, vitamins and water which are responsible for growth and development in man and animals. Apart from their nutritional benefits, fruits also have beneficial effects such as anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic, anti-viral, anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial properties. This is due to the presence of biological active substances in the fruits. Therefore, in this research, the nutritional composition of the fruits of Persea americana, Daurus carota and the combination in ratio 1:1 was evaluated using standard methods of analyses. The results showed that P. americana, D. carota and the formulation contained in percentage: moisture (4.297, 3.957 and 3.878), ash (4.050, 7.625 and 5.275), crude protein (27.150, 27.210 and 27.370), crude lipid (2.300, 3.717 and 3.067), crude fibre (4.820, 4.450 and 4.710), available carbohydrate (57.360, 53.190 and 55.700) and calorific value (1498.04, 1485.54 and 1505.75 kcal) respectively. Elemental analyses of P. americana, D. carota and the formulation (in mg/100g) revealed that the samples contained: Sodium (635.30, 993.00 and 1272.00), Potassium (1376.00, 1349.70 and 1380.30), Calcium (2291.00, 2186.70 and 2297.00), Magnesium (1073.70, 1104.30 and 1124.00), Iron (324.70, 334.40 and 413.40), and Phosphorus (3251.30, 3234.50 and 3462.80) respectively. The results of vitamin composition revealed that P. americana, D. carota and the formulation contained: Vitamin C (17.57, 36.67 and 26.37 mg/100g), Vitamin A (7473.53, 10719.55 and 9063.43 μg RE), Lycopene (54.60, 201.10 and 126.10 mg/100g), and β-carotene (627.78, 900.78 and 761.32 μg/100g) respectively. The results of nutritional analyses showed that the fruits and the formulation could be good source of vitamins, plant protein, minerals, crude fibre, carbohydrate and calories. From the available data, the nutrient content of the fruits and formulation could serve as a good dietary source for essential nutrients because, the concentrations are within the safety limit for human consumption, based on RDA (recommended daily allowance) acceptable limits.
Key words: Nutrition, Formulation, Persea americana, Daurus carota, Synergy
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