EFFECT OF COOKING TIME ON BIOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF RAFFIA (RAFFIA HOOKERI) HEART CONSUMED AS VEGETABLE IN COTE DIVOIRE

Raffia (Raphia hookeri Mann & Wendl.) heart, a little-known vegetable, is usually eaten after cooking in some regions of the Cote dIvoire. The proximate composition of the fresh state and the effect of cooking time (15, 30 and 45 min) on biochemical parameters were investigated. The results show that fresh raffia heart contains nutrients such as proteins (14.53 ± 0.03 g/100g), lipids (2.60 ± 0.10 g/100g), total sugars (35.61 ± 0.13 g/100g) and phytochemicals, in particular total polyphenols (5.86 ± 0.38 g/100g), flavonoids (0.75 ± 0.20 g/100g) and tannins (1.93 ± 0.9 g/100g). It is also rich in fibre (23.30 ± 0.75 g/100g) and ash (12.60 ± 0.02 g/100g), which contain minerals. Cooking for 15 minutes did not affect the protein content (14.53 ± 0.04 g/100g), but the content of total polyphenols (8.23 ± 0.39 g/100g), lipids (3.60 g/100g) and energy (295.84 ± 3.96 kcal/100g) increased by 28.79%, 2.77% and 0.74% respectively. Conversely, fibre (22.80 ± 0.67 g/100g), flavonoids (0.54 ± 0.10 g/100g) and tannins (1.19 ± 0.13 g/100g) decreased by 2.14%, 28% and 38.34% respectively. Except for lipids, the values of other nutrients decreased after 30 and 45 minutes of cooking. The nutrient values of raffia hearts cooked for 15 minutes are high, which could help to meet the bodys needs. The heart of raffia hookeri traditional food resources is an important source of nutrients. The adoption of a good regeneration and domestication strategy could make Raffia hookeriavailable for large-scale food exploitation and as a source of financial returns.