Nutritional composition of A. heterophyllus, A. altilis and A. camansi

Abstract

This study investigated the nutritional composition of the leaves and stems of Artocarpus heterophyllus, Artocarpus altilis, and Artocarpus camansi with a view to assessing their nutritional potential. Fresh plant materials were collected from Aguluezechukwu, Aguata Local Government Area, Anambra State, Nigeria, and authenticated by a plant taxonomist. Proximate analyses were conducted using standard AOAC procedures to determine moisture, protein, fat, ash, crude fibre, carbohydrate, and dry matter contents. Data obtained were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at a 5% level of significance. The results showed that the leaves of the three species generally contained higher levels of fat, ash, carbohydrate, protein, and dry matter than their respective stems. In A. heterophyllus, the leaf recorded higher fat (2.39%), ash (12.77%), carbohydrate (18.40%), protein (4.56%), and dry matter (42.66%), while the stem had higher moisture (58.55%) and fibre (25.12%). Similar trends were observed in A. altilis, where the leaf contained higher fat (2.25%), ash (13.55%), carbohydrate (22.99%), protein (4.15%), and dry matter (44.74%), whereas the stem exhibited higher moisture (58.62%) and fibre (26.65%). In A. camansi, the leaf showed higher moisture (62.26%), fat (2.46%), ash (13.30%), carbohydrate (21.45%), and protein (4.72%), while the stem had higher fibre (25.05%) and dry matter (40.47%). The study concluded that the leaves of the three Artocarpus species possess superior nutritional qualities compared with the stems and may serve as valuable sources of nutrients for food, feed, and nutraceutical applications.