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Estimation of Some Anti-nutritional Factors in Oil-Free Seed Cake of Egusi (Citrullus colocynthis L.)

Abdulhamid A Ibrahim I and Warra AA

In this study, some anti-nutritional factors present in oil-free seeds of egusi (Citrullus colocynthis L.) seed cake were determined. Oil was extracted from the oil-free egusi seed by the Soxhlet extraction method. The anti-nutritional factors were determined using the standard methods. The result of anti-nutritional factors analysis revealed that the seed contains phytate (3.09 ± 0.65mg/100g), oxalate (16.20 ± 2.12mg/100g), nitrate (1.09 ± 0.03mg/100g), cyanogens (13.78 ± 0.13mg/100g) and tannins (6.19 ± 0.04mg/100g). From the result, the oil-free seed cake of egusi contains some anti-nutritional factors in minute amounts, and this serve as a guide towards their elimination.