Effect of Induced Ageing on Nutrients Content of some Selected Castor Seeds Genotypes

Abstract

Castor is an important oilseed crop with great utilitarian value in industrial, pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors, the major constituents of the seeds are the lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and, of course, the nucleic acids. Seed deterioration is associated with various cellular, metabolic and chemical alterations to the seed constituents. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of induced ageing on the nutrient content of castor seeds. The study was carried out by subjecting castor seeds of various accessions to induced ageing by placing the seeds in an incubator at a temperature of 40OC and 100% relative humidity for 0, 2, 4 and 6 days. A total of twelve (12) castor accessions were used for the study. Percentage total fats, total protein, total reducing sugar was determined in the aged seeds using standard biochemical procedures. The result showed a progressive decrease in fats, protein and reducing sugar content with increased ageing time which became significant at (p < 0.05) on day four in all parameters measured. The percentage decrease of fats ranged from 38.01% in NCRI-P-007 to 9.0% NCRICAS036, protein 57.98% in NCRI-P-40 to 54.10% NCRICAS019 and reducing sugar 39.93% in NCRI-P-39 to 14.55% in NCRICAS036. The result has led to the conclusion that castor seeds lose its nutrients content with storage time.