Baobab Monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future

4.3 Seeds
Seed kernels are widely used, despite the need to remove the relatively thick
shell. They are eaten fresh, dry or ground and used in cooking. Kernels have
an energy value of 1803 kJ/100g (Arnold et al., 1985) approximately 50%
higher than leaves. Arnold et al. (1985) also provided data on chemical
composition: moisture 8.1%, protein 33.7%, fat 30.6%, carbohydrates 4.8%,
fibre 16.9% and ash 5.9%. However, higher levels of carbohydrates have
been recorded (Palmer and Pitman, 1972).
Glew et al., (1997) reported that lipid content was 155 mg/g of dry weight
with 1-2 mg/g linoleic acid. Amino acids and mineral contents are shown in
tables 4.7 and 4.8.
Table 4.7 Amino acid composition of baobab seeds
Amino acid Mg/g
% of total protein
dry weight WHO ideal Baobab seed
A
A
B
Aspartic acid 21.1
Glutamic acid 48.9
Serine 11.4
Glycine 10.4
Histidine 5.05
Arginine 2.21
Threonine 6.98 4.0 3.6 4.1
Proline 9.55
Tyrosine 5.59
Valine 11.6 5.0 5.9 6.0
Methionine 2.29
Isoleucine 8.27 4.0 4.2 3.7
Leucine 14.0 7.0 7.1 7.6
Phenylalanine 10.3
Cysteic acid 3.60
Lysine 11.2 5.5 5.7 6.6
Tryptophan 2.81 4.0 1.4 1.4
Alanine 10.6
Phenylalanine +
16.0 8.1 1.4
Tyrosine
Methionine +
3.5 3.0 1.8
Cystine
A = data from Glew et al. (1997)
B = data from Addy and Eteshola (1984)
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