COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES OF BANANA, JACKFRUIT AND PUMPKIN FLOUR

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the nutritional properties of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) and green banana (Musa acuminata) flours. Fresh slices of each crop were dried at 60 ℃ in a hot air dryer until the moisture content reached to 6%. Dried samples were ground and screened through a 0.5 mm sieve to obtain flour. Flours were separately stored in airtight containers till further use. The proximate composition was determined using the standard AOAC methods. The crude protein, crude fat, total ash and crude fiber contents recorded on dry weight basis were 4.86±0.23%, 0.15±0.07%, 1.95±0.02%, 2.72±0.03% in jack fruit flour; 4.45±0.09%, 0.75±0.01%, 3.03±0.04%, 8.75±0.01% in pumpkin flour and 4.43±0.03%, 0.24±0.03%, 2.81±0.02%, 1.16±0.01% in green banana flour respectively. The significantly (p≤ 0.05) higher contents of total ash and crude fiber in pumpkin flour open up avenues for surplus utilization and for a demand driven cultivation that ensures raw materials with better nutritional profile. Moreover, these are better substitutes for imported wheat flour