Evaluation of the Amino Acid Profiles, Anti-nutrients and Physicochemical Properties of Hura crepitans Seed Flour Used in Foods and Allied Industries

The study examined the anti-nutritional factors, amino acid profiles, and chemical characteristics of sandbox seed. Four treatments of the seed flour samples—raw, heated, roasted, and fermented were created using conventional techniques, and their physicochemical composition, amino acid content, and anti-nutritional components were examined. Standard methods were used to extract and characterize the seed oil from the flour samples. The flavonoids (17.50% in raw seed), alkaloids (6.20% in raw), and tannins (5.24% in raw) were the anti-nutrients in the seed flour that were of concern. The anti-nutrients in the sandbox seeds were shown to be more effectively reduced by fermentation and moist cooking, also known as moist heat treatment. Twenty amino acids were found in the seed flour after the amino acid profiles were assessed. Arginine (3.25 g/100 g cooked and 8.05 g/100 g fermented), glutamic acid (6.05 g/100 g cooked and 10.2 g/100 g fermented), and valine (8.03 g/100 g raw and 8.58 g/100 g fermented) were the three main ones implicated. With a chemical score of 44.52%, methionine is the limiting amino acid. The free fatty acid values of the sandbox seeds under evaluation ranged from 3.60% to 6.03%, with no significant variations (P > 0.05) seen in their physicochemical attributes. The samples' peroxide values vary from 2.96% to 44.81%, and their iodine values range from 104.94% to 126.90%. Thus, the study proposed that the anti-nutrients in the sandbox seed might be significantly reduced by using fermentation and/or moist cooking. Hura crepitans has strong physicochemical qualities and significant levels of necessary amino acids; as a result, it can be used in several food industries where protein (amino acids) is crucial.