Effect of Fermentation on the Amino Acid Composition of African Oil Bean Seed

Student: GIFT Ebehiremen IBOI (Project, 2025)
Department of Biochemistry
Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State

Abstract

African oil beans is a legume found in Nigeria and other regions of Africa. It is a staple diet in many parts of Nigeria and the processing includes fermentation to make it edible. However, this process could affect the nutritional profile of the seeds. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of fermentation on the amino acid composition of African oil bean seed. The seeds were purchased from a market in Imo State, processed and analysed using standard laboratory techniques. At the end of the procedure, the total amino acid content was not significantly (p>0.05) higher in the raw seeds (67.777 g/100g) compared to the fermented seeds (36.355 g/100g). The lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, valine, arginine, histidine, alanine, aspartic acid, asparagine, glutamic acid, glutamine, and glycine were also higher in the raw seed compared to the fermented seed. The proline, serine, tryptophan, and cysteine contents were higher in the fermented seed compared to the raw seed. In conclusion, this study has shown that although fermentation reduces the total amino acid composition of African oil bean seed, this effect vary depending on the specific amino acid.

Keywords
effect fermentation amino composition African oil bean seed nutritional value protein quality.
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