Fatty acid profile of some cameroonian spices

Abstract

Spices are frequently used in the preparation of traditional Cameroonian dishes, but to date little is known about their nutritional characteristics. The work described in this paper revealed that some spices, notably Njangsang and Pebe have a high fat content (around 500 g kg-1) and that a substantial proportion of this lipid is polyunsaturated. Wide variations in the total lipid content (40-510 g kg-1) and in the PUFA : SAFA ratio (0 3-3 8) were observed but the consumption of spices in general, and of certain varieties in particular, may provide a significant quantity of lipid having a beneficial fatty acid profile, together with some essential fatty acids. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.