Determination of health and nutritional benefits of jackfruits (artocarpus heterophyllus)

Abstract

Jackfruit is one of the tropical fruits uncommonly consumed in Ghana. In this study, the nutritional and health benefits of the jackfruit pulp, together with its bark and leaves, were assessed. The methodology was centered on determining the macro- and micronutrient composition and some potential health benefits of the jackfruit pulps, barks, and leaves. The proximate analytical methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC 2000) were used to quantify the macronutrients. The micronutrient contents were determined using spectrophotometric and non-spectrophotometric methods. The total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC), and the β-carotene contents were determined using spectrophotometry as a means of measuring the health benefits of the samples. The crude protein, carbohydrates, and fiber content of the pulp were 1.05±0.06, 17.40±0.36 and 0.46±0.15 g/100 g of fresh fruit sample, respectively. The K, Ca, and P contents of the jackfruit pulps were 422.36±9.60, 69.91±1.66 and 61.17±0.01 mg/100 g of fresh fruit sample, respectively. The TPC, TFC, and β-carotenes content of the pulps were 65.9302±0.0163 mg GAE/100 g, 5.7620±0.0291 mg QE/100 g, and 2.43±0.06 mg/100 g, respectively. The results showed that jackfruit is rich in nutrients including minerals, phytochemicals and in relatively higher amount compared with other fruits.