COMPARABILITY OF THE AMINO ACID COMPOSITION OF ARIL AND SEED OF BLIGHIA SAPIDA FRUIT

Akee apple fruit (Blighia sapida Konig), is one of the popular small-scale tropical fruits and it is an important crop. B. sapida may be eaten raw (without the pink raphe attaching the aril to the seed) or after cooking when it resembles scrambled eggs. Fruits like the akee apple are novelties for many people except in the savannah belt; in the localities where they grow they are eaten and relished. In view of this, an investigation into the concentrations of amino acids of the aril and seed parts of Blighia sapida fruit was carried out using standard methods to determine amino acid profiles; quality of dietary protein was determined using various methods like: amino acid scores determination [(in three different ways); (i) amino acid score based on the whole hen’s egg, (ii) essential amino acid score based on the provisional amino acid scoring pattern, (iii) essential amino acid score based on suggested school child requirement] essential amino acid index and predicted protein efficiency ratio. For quick precipitation of protein, the isoelectric point was also determined. Glutamic acid was the most abundant amino acid (11.4-12.7 g/100 g) and while Arg was the mos