THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION PROTEIN FRACTIONS, MINERAL CONTENTS AND NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF SOME AMARANTH GRAINS COLLECTED FROM SOUTH WESTERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of malnutrition among children in Ethiopia is very high. To reduce the prevalence of malnutrition, one of the possible remedies could be to Search for under utilized food sources with high protein and energy contents. The aim of this study was to investigate the nutrient composition of amaranth grains cultivated in southwestern Ethiopia.

METHODS: Five different samples of amaranth grains were collected randomly from open markets in Goldiya, Maji and Yeki, southwest Ethiopia in Jan 1997 and evaluated for their proximate composition, minerals contents, lysine content and protein fractions, available carbohydrates and crude fat characteristics using standard methods.

RESULTS: The protein content ranged from 13 to15.1 g%, crude fibre 4.3 to 10 g %, and lysine from 4.6 to 6.1 g/16g N and was significantly different from each other (p< 0.05). The crude fat content ranged from 7 to 8% and ash 3.1 to 4.0%. Calcium content ranged from 121 to 198, iron 13 to 22, zinc 2.7 - 5.5, phosphorous 487 to 673, sodium 9 to 19 and potassium 478 to 581 mg% showing a significant variation (p<0.05). Glutelin is the most abundant while prolamin the least of protein fractions in all the samples (p<0.05) with albumin to glutelin ratio varied from 0.81 to 1.14.

CONCLUSION: The present results indicate that amaranth seeds are superior in nutritional qualities and may offer unique opportunities to complement other cereals and root crops and alleviate the high prevalence of protein energy malnutrition in Ethiopia