NUTRITIONAL POTENTIAL OF AZADIRACHTA INDICA SEEDS

Azadirachta indica seeds have since remained unexploited as a possible source of nutrient probably due to its irritating odour, bitter taste and insufficient scientific data. Its application has majorly been in the treatment of diseases due to its great medicinal properties. The fresh seeds of Azadirachta indica (neem) fruit were analyzed for their proximate and mineral compositions using Standard Official Methods. The seeds were harvested, dried, the hard seed coat removed and the cotyledons ground to reduce particle size so as to expose larger surface area. The investigation for proximate composition revealed that the seeds contained 16.81 ± 0.65 % crude protein, 3.53 ± 0.46 % ash, 2.67 ± 0.58 % moisture, 35.13 ± 0.12% crude lipid, 3.87 ± 0.29 % crude fibre and 37.99 ± 1.88 % carbohydrate. Analysis of the mineral composition yielded the following values in µg/g of nitrate 7.17 ± 0.08, calcium 26.20 ± 9.41, magnesium 0.08 ± 0.03, phosphate 40.45 ± 2.54 and iron 2.70 ± 0.16. The result revealed that the seeds were very rich in crude protein which is usually low in plant materials, crude lipid and carbohydrate while fibre, ash and moisture occurred at lower amounts. The mineral analysis further revealed that fresh seeds of Azadirachta indica are potentially rich in mineral composition. Phosphate has the highest concentration of 40.45µg/ml followed by calcium, while the values of nitrate, iron and magnesium were relatively low with magnesium having the least concentration. These minerals are needed for the proper functioning of the body system. Phosphorus is an important constituent of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and nucleic acids and is also essential for acid-base balance, bone and tooth formation. Calcium is important in construction and maintenance of bone and normal function of nerves and muscles. This seed therefore can be useful for nutritional purposes in food/feed formulation and a valuable source of scarce plant protein. Keywords: Azadirachta indica, proximate, plant protein, minerals, seeds, feed, neem