ABSTRACT

The Monkey kola (Cola lepidota) is a tropical edible fruit which belongs to the family Sterculiaceae and belongs to a group called drupes. The species is cultivated throughout the tropical regions of the world and commonly found in Southern Nigeria, this edible fruit tree is made up of three varieties; Red (Cola laterita), Yellow (Cola parchycarpa) and White (Cola lepidota). This fruit tree has immense importance. However, it is underutilized due to lack of information on the importance of this species. The specific objective of this study is to evaluate the nutritional and anti-nutritional composition of Cola lepidota. This study was designed to investigate the proximate, minerals, vitamins and phytochemical composition of the ripe fruits, with the aim of determining the nutritional value and other food benefits from these fruits which may be used as food supplement for the body. The results obtained from the chemical composition of the fruit tree revealed that proximate composition of the fruit were found to be crude protein (2.5 %), crude fat(0.5 %), crude fiber(0.6 %), ash (1.1 %), moisture (88. 9%) and carbohydrate(6.6 %). The mineral compositions were found to be calcium (182.5 mg/bOg), magnesium (87.5 mg/bOg), sodium (5.4 mg/bOg), potassium (68.1 mg/bOg), phosphorous (34.4 mg/bOg). The vitamin composition were found to be thiaminebi (0.08 mg/100g), riboflavinB2 (0.02 mg/bOg), niacin B3 (0.23 mg/bOg), vitamin (25.63 mg/lOOg), and Vitamin C (12.98 mg/bOg). The phytochemical compositions were found to be tannin (18.25 mg/bOg), flavonoid (420.7mg/bOg), saponin (42.4 mg/bOg), and phenol (2.45 mg/loog).The results obtained from the study widened the scope of the knowledge on the nutritional benefits of the fruits of Monkey Kola. Components such as potassium and calcium are known to help reduce heart diseases and the development of healthy bone and teeth respectively. There is therefore the need to further maximize the use benefit of this species.