摘要：The effect of thermal processing as a preservation technique on the nutritional, anti-nutritional and functional characteristics of African oil bean seeds ( Pentaclethra macrophylla Benth) was investigated. Samples were drawn from the different stages during the processing (namely; cooked, fermented and canned) along with the raw seeds, and examined for proximate chemical composition, elemental concentrations, anti-nutritional content and functional properties . The results show that processing reduced the protein content from 22.32% dry wt. in the raw seeds to 19.00% dry wt. in the canned product; while oil content increased from 53.98% to 60.11% respectively. Also, fermentation and canning significantly (P phytic acid were reduced from 2.79mg/g, 0.38g/100g and 2.11g/100g in the raw seeds to 0.81mg/g, 0.22g/100g and 1.16g/100g in the canned product, respectively. Water and oil absorption capacities were not significantly (P>0.05) affected by the processing operations. However, the capacity to gel and foam reduced with successive processing steps. Overall, thermal processing of the African oil bean seeds raised nutrient bioavailability , digestibility and functionality.
