Dietary Fibre and Fatty Acid Evaluation of Boiled, Roasted, Germinated and Fermented Breadnut (Ukwa bekee) Seed Flours

Evaluation of dietary fiber and fatty acid composition of boiled, roasted, fermented and germinated breadnut seed flour was investigated. The seeds were dehulled and washed. It was divided into four equal parts for different processing techniques: boiled, roasted, germinated and fermented. They were analyzed for dietary fibre and fatty acid composition using standard methods. Data were subjected to statistical analysis using Statistical Product for Service Solution (SPSS) version 23.0. Values were expressed as means and standard deviation, Duncan multiple range test was used in separating the means at 95% confidence interval. Dietary fibre composition showed that breadnut seed flours range from 4.94% (fermented breadnut seed flour) to 5.42% (roasted breadnut seed flour). Fatty acid profile showed that breadnut seed flours contain a greater amount of non-essential fatty acids which were highly significant (p < 0.05) in oleic acid (57.93%) for roasted breadnut seed flour followed by linoleic acid (25.76%) in fermented breadnut flour. Stearic acid was the only prominent non-essential fatty acid in the breadnut seed flour and ranged from 4.40% (fermented breadnut seed flour) to 6.27% (germinated breadnut seed flour). The study revealed that all the processed breadnut seed flours have appreciable quantities of dietary fibre and essential fatty acids than non-essential fatty acids. Breadnut seed should be recommended in wheat substitution in bakery industry and culinary uses. It is also recommended for weight loss program.