Exploration study of proximate and mineral composition of raw and boiled storage scale leaf samples of Borassus flabellifer L.

Abstract

Dioecious Palm is known as Borassus flabellifer L. Every part of the plant has been used by the people for various purposes, right from as a source of food, medicine to handicrafts made from palm leaves. The edible part of the seedling is scale leaf or cataphyll which is enclosed by cotyledonous sheath (seed shoot). The present study aimed at analysing the storage scale leaf for understanding its comparative proximate and mineral values of raw and boiled scale leaf for establishing its nutritive use. The crude protein content is lower in the raw scale leaf sample (5.84%) than the boiled scale leaf (6.40%). The boiled sample had higher crude carbohydrate content (16.53%) than the raw scale leaf sample (11.59%), which shows that the boiled scale leaf is a good source of carbohydrates. The crude lipid content of raw scale leaf (1.72%) is significantly lower than the boiled scale leaf (4.39%). Crude fibre content ranged from 1.98% in raw scale leaf to 2.11% in the boiled scale leaf. The moisture content lowered in the boiled scale leaf (57.31%) than the raw scale leaf (58.93%). The calorific value was higher in the boiled scale leaf sample (131.23 cal/100 g) than the raw scale leaf sample (85.2 cal/100 g). The amount of minerals were also analysed and compared between the boiled and raw samples (g/100 g), viz; Magnesium (raw 0.202 and boiled 0.163), Potassium (raw 1.336 and boiled 1.203), Calcium (raw 0.709 and boiled 0.667), Iron (raw 0.101 and boiled 0.106) and Zinc (raw 0.006 and boiled 0.034). Significant differences (p