The effect of processing methods on the chemical composition of baobab (Adansonia digitata. L) pulp and seed

Abstract

Sundrying, roasting and fermentation were the traditional processing techniques selected to use to improve the chemical composition of the baobab pulp and seed. The fruits were purchased from a retailer in Maiduguri. The pulp was scraped and kneaded in cold water to form an emulsion. The emulsion was passed through a fine sieve and frozen until used. The seeds were thoroughly cleaned, boiled, dehulled and divided into five portions. The first two portions were sun‐dried and roasted. The remaining three portions were fermented for 2, 4 and 6 days at 28°C. After this, they were dried to 96% dry matter, ground into fine powder and stored frozen as the pulp. Standard techniques were adopted for the analysis of the samples. Fermentation of the seeds for 6d offers much advantages over roasting as judged by crude protein, moisture and minerals. A 6‐day fermentation appears to be the promising method for producing nutritious food from baobab seed.