COMPARATIVE STUDIES ON THE PROXIMATE COMPOSITION AND SOME PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DRY MATTER SAMPLES OF FERMENTED AND UNFERMENTED GROUNDNUT(Arachis hypogaea L.) SEED, PUMPKIN(Curcubita pepo L.) SEED AND PULP.

Wakshama, P.S¹; Akueshi, C.O² and Ali, B.D¹.

¹Departmment of Biological Sciences, Adamawa State University, Mubi

²Department of Plant Science and Technology, University of Jos, Jos

Comparative studies on the proximate compositions of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) seed, pumpkin(Curcubita pepo)seed and pulp and some physical characteristics were carried out to determine the effect of fermentation on these materials using the traditional method. Crude protein was determined by Micro-Kjeldahl techniques, ash by the Ranjhan and Krisma method;  fat  using the Saxhlet Extraction Apparatus, crude fibre by the Trichloroacetic Acid method and carbohydrate was calculated by summing up the results of the other components and substracting it from hundred. Results indicated that crude protein increased in the fermented products of groundnut and pumpkin seeds, fat contents increased in all the fermented products, ash showed increase in both fermented pumpkin products while crude fibre recorded an increase in the fermented pumpkin pulp only. This shows that fermentation helps siugnificantly, in improving the nutritive values of these products.

Keywords: Groundnut seed, Pumpkin seed and pulp, fermentation, condiments, physical characcteristics.