Fatty Acid Composition Of Two Nigerian Masticatories Cum Traditional Snacks African Walnut Plukenetia Conophora Kernel And African Elemi Canarium Schweinfurthii Pulp.

Fatty acid composition of plant food oil is important for its economic and nutritional value. Assessment of fatty acid contents of two Nigerian masticatories cum traditional snacks African walnut kernel AW and African elemi pulp AE were carried out. Samples were subjected to graded wet heat contact time based on their traditional methods of processing and their oil extract evaluated for fatty acid FA contents using chromatographic method. The processing methods had no statistically significant effect on both the oil and FA contents of the samples. Both samples contain nutritionally relevant levels of fat ranging respectively from 49.81.08 to 52.82.70g100g sample and 41.936.03 to 42.84.61g100g sample in AW and AE. A total of six fatty acids including two essential ones namely omega-6 C182 and omega-3 C183 were identified and quantified in the two plant foods. The predominant FAs in the plant foods were oleic acid 16.121.86 - 17.111.31g100g fat linoleic acid 16.881.66 - 18.801.52g100g fat and linolenic acid 55.955.68 - 57.086.57g100g fat in AW and palmitic acid 48.594.35 - 50.513.29g100g fat oleic acid 32.023.27 - 35.741.46g100g fat and linoleic acid 15.153.57 - 15.403.82g100g fat in AE. The study shows that on the average one serving of AW could supply about 41.52 and 647.09 of the Recommended Daily Intakes RDIs for the essential FAs Linoleic and Linolenic acids respectively while that of AE will supply about 29.13 of the RDI for Lineleic acid. Based on their essential FAs contents the plant foods apparently have potentials for applications as nutraceuticals