IJSR - International Journal of Scientific Research

Doro S. K.; Birnin-Yauri; U. A.; Alhaji; S. M.

Volume : VII, Issue : XII, December - 2018

NUTRITIONAL AND ANTINUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENTS OF NIGERIAN FINGER MILLET (ELEUSINE CORACANA)

Doro S. K. , Birnin Yauri, U. A. , Alhaji, S. M.

Abstract :

Eleusine coracana (finger millet) grain was evaluated with the aim of providing information that will guide the effective use of the plant nutrition as alternative food source. The proximate composition revealed moisture content (12.03 ± 0.06 %), ash content (3.00 ± 0.1 %), crude protein (7.81 ± 0.02 %), crude fie (6.10 ± 0.1 %), crude lipid (1.30 ± 0.2 %), carbohydrate (69.76 ± 0.2 %) and energy value (321.98 ± 0.01 kcal/100g). The following minerals were present potassium (22923 ± 1907µg/g), sodium (729 ± 37 µg/g), copper (10 ± 0.5 µg/g), calcium (23 ± 0.6 µg/g), and magnesium (17 ± 5. µg/g), zinc (3 ± 0.7 µg/g), manganese (88 ± 1.0 µg/g), iron (38 ± 2.3 µg/g), phosphorus (226 ± 0.1 µg/g), cadmium (0.398 ± 0.02 µg/g) and chromium (0.429 ± 0.3 µg/g). It has the following vitamins content vitamin A (0.13 ± 0.18 µg/g), vitamin C (35.21 ± 0.15 µg/g), vitamin E (244.46 ± 1.14 µg/g), and vitamin B₂(0.25 ± 0.02 µg/g). Eleusine coracana also has the following anti–nutritional factors tannins (0.09 ± 0.01µg/g), cyanide (0.027 ± 0.03 µg/g), phytate (2.33 ± 0.06 µg/g) oxalate (0.00068 ± 0.0003 µg/g) and nitrate (0.95 ± 0.1 µg/g). It contains both essential and non–essential amino acid including the rare ones that cannot be found in some cereal like tryptophan methionine, glumatic acid and threonine. These results revealed that the grain of Eleusine coracana (finger millet) contained essential nutrients which compete favorably well with those of other grains.