Effect of Fermentation on the Physicochemical Properties and Nutritionally Valuable Minerals of Locust Bean (Parkia biglobosa)

Objective: The effects of fermentation on the physicochemical properties and nutritionally valuable minerals of locust bean was investigated.The proximate composition, mineral composition, anti-nutrient factors and physicochemical properties of both unfermented and fermented samples were determined.Methodology: The proximate analysis, anti-nutrient factors analysis, mineral analysis as well as physicochemical properties were conducted on the unfermented and fermented locust beans.The statistical analysis were carried out with SPSS.Results: The result revealed that the proximate compositions (moisture, crude fat, crude protein) of the fermented seeds are higher than the unfermented seeds.However, the unfermented seeds had higher ash, crude fibre and carbohydrate as compared to the fermented seeds.The mineral content of the analyzed samples showed that the fermented seeds were richer in Ca (2750 mg/100 g), Zn (5.5 mg/100 g), Mn (4.8 mg/100 g), Cu (0.7 mg/100 g), Fe (7.8 mg/100 g) and Na (3.6 mg/100 g), while the unfermented seeds recorded higher values for Mg (280 mg/100 g), K (306 mg/100 g) and P (1.1 mg/100 g) than the fermented seeds.For the anti-nutrient factors, the fermented seeds recorded higher tannins (4.72±0.31)and phytates (37.90±4.66)compared to unfermented seeds with low anti-nutrient factors.There was increase in pH from 5.67-6.41 of the fermented seeds with a consequent decrease in their titratable acidity from 17.20-4.75.Conclusion: The results showed that the fermented samples are better in terms of nutritional content than the unfermented seeds.