Chemical evaluation of mahua (Madhuca indica) seed

Abstract

Seeds of mahua fruits contain 16·9 and 51·5% protein and oil, respectively. Fatty acid composition of oil revealed the presence of oleic acid (46·3%) and linoleic acid (17·9%) as the major unsaturated and palmitic acid (17·8%) and stearic acid (14·0%) as major saturated fatty acids. The defatted mahua seed meal contains 29·4% protein and 9·8% saponins which are toxic at this level. However, the levels of saponins could be reduced by treatment with isopropanol. The defatted flour showed good oil absorption and emulsification properties. The solubility of protein was high at both acidic and alkaline pH with a minimum at 4·0. The in-vitro digestibility of mahua seed flour after treatment with isopropanol was found to be 81%. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed five bands with different relative mobilities and they contained both high and low molecular weight protein fractions. Detoxified mahua seed flour appears to be a good source of protein for food and feed products. © 1991.