Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Technologia Alimentaria

Background. Many underutilized wild fruits offer potential novel sources of macro- and micro-nutrients,  as well as health-promoting antioxidants and phytochemicals. However, these benefits are not fully harnessed due to limited information on their composition. Dika fruit is one of such underutilized wild fruits. This study was carried out to analyze juice samples processed from dika fruit for nutrient and non-nutrient contents,   as well as for their sensory attributes.

Materials and methods. Fruits harvested from rural communities in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria were washed and divided into two portions. The skin of one portion was peeled off and sliced into small pieces (2 cm) (PDJ), while the other portion was sliced (2 cm) with the peel (UPDJ). Each portion was liquefied with a high-speed Kenwood kitchen blender, filtered through a clean muslin cloth and evaluated for proximate, mineral, vitamin, phytochemical and anti-nutrient contents. A 9-point hedonic scale was used to evaluate the sensory properties of the juices. The data were analyzed using a Statistical Package for Social Science, version 21 and significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.

Results. The UPDJ had significantly (p < 0.05) higher carbohydrate (15.75%), protein (4.72%), fat (2.65%) and ash (0.47%) contents than PDJ. No significant difference existed in both vitamin and mineral contents of the two samples except for zinc, which was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the PDJ. Phytochemicals and anti-nutrients were significantly (p < 0.05) more numerous in the UPDJ than PDJ. The PDJ was rated higher than the UPDJ in all sensory attributes.

Conclusion. The juice samples contain appreciable amounts of carbohydrate, vitamin C, flavonoids, alkaloids, and glycosides. The anti-nutrients were within acceptable levels. Dika fruit is locally available and could be incorporated into meals to promote good health.