THE AMINO ACID, FATTY ACID AND CARBOHYDRATE CONTENT OF ARTOCARPUS ALTILIS (BREADFRUIT); THE WHITE HEART CULTIVAR FROM THE WEST INDIES

Information on the food composition of breadfruit is important for health, dietary assessment and food organoleptic properties. Breadfruit is an important staple food for West Indies people and of growing importance in the food industry, yet, only limited information on its nutrient content is available. A study was conducted to determine the amino acid, fatty acid and carbohydrate content of the ‘White Heart’ cultivar in the West Indies using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC). HPLC was used to determine breadfruit amino acids and fatty acids, while GC was employed to analyze carbohydrate content. The findings (in fresh weight per 100 g) indicate that ‘White Heart’ is a rich source of nutrients. Essential amino acids at the highest concentrations were leucine (605 mg) and lysine (799 mg). Essential fatty acids detected at the highest concentration were linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid (0.15 mg) and linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid (2.13 mg), both at the ripe stage. Carbohydrates present at the highest concentrations were arabinose (468 mg), sucrose (415 mg) and glucose (365 mg). The starch content was 15.5 g.