Utilisation potentials of Conorandus panados (Mnizee) fruits and seeds

The fruit and seed of Conorandus panados were analysed to determine its potentiality. Results obtained showed that the fruit has higher concentration of mineral elements and vitamin than common fruits like guava, wild Cassipourea congoensis and Nuclea latifolia found in the studied area. The mineral elements, vitamin and proximate composition of the seeds of C. panados are higher than those of Deterium microcarpum, Balanites aegytiaca and Gemlina arboea. The physico-chemical characteristics of the oil are within the range of physicochemical characteristics of many edible oils like cottonseed, groundnut and corn oils. Deterioration results indicate that the shelf-life of the seed oil of C. panados may be 196 days, as against 84 days for Adasonia digitata and 96 days for Prosopsis africana used in the preparation of local condiments for flavouring dishes in Michika, Adamawa State and Hausa States in Nigeria. These suggest that the overall daily intake of the fruits and seeds could provide vitamin, mineral elements and proximate compositions better than C. congoensis, N. latifolia, D. microcarpum, B. aegytiaca, and G. arboea, subject to knowledge of the levels of the possible toxic substances. Also, the oil or the products of the oil would have longer shelf-life than those of A. digitata and P. Africana. Keywords: Wild, seed oil, shelf-life, physico-chemical characteristics, antinutritional, deteriorationInternational Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences Vol. 2 (4) 2008: pp. 439-44