Nutritional and functional properties of Cirina forda larva from Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.

Proximate composition, mineral content and functional properties of the flour obtained from larvae of Cirina forda were evaluated. The proximate analysis revealed the crude protein to be 20.0 ± 0.2%, crude fat 12.5 ± 0.4%, moisture 4.5 ± 0.1%, ash 8.7 ± 0.1% and total carbohydrate 54.3 ± 0.2%. The mineral evaluation in mg/100g dry weight showed K (47.6 ± 0.1) > P (45.9 ± 0.6) > Na (44.4 ± 0.1) > Mg (43.8 ± 0.4) > Zn (24.2 ± 0.2) > Ca (12.9 ± 0.2) > Fe (1.3). Cu and Mn were not detected. The functional properties showed water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity and emulsion capacity to be 248.3 ± 2.4%, 178.7 ± 0.0% and 135.7 ± 2.3%, respectively. The least gelation concentration was 14.0 ± 0.1% (w/v). It had high solubility in both acidic and basic pHs suggesting that C. forda flour will be useful in the formulation of both acidic and basic foods. The protein solubility profile also revealed that the protein content of C. forda is least available in a neutral medium. This study revealed that C. forda is a good source of protein and fat. The result of the mineral analysis will makeC. forda useful in the formulation of human foods which may however need to be fortified with iron and calcium.        Key words: Cirina forda, protein solubility profile, minerals, functional properties.

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