Effect of drying conditions and solvent type on the physicochemical composition of African breadfruit (Treculia africana)

The effects of drying conditions (sun and oven drying) and solvent type (petroleum ether, acetone and hexane) on the physiochemical, proximate and multivitamin composition of Treculia africana were investigated. Breadfruit samples were collected from Ogwu area of Enugu State, processed and subjected to physiochemical, proximate and multivitamin screening using standard methods of analysis. Percentage yields of breadfruit oil using the three solvents (under sun dried and oven dried conditions) are 19.81, 17.23, 21.92, 19.05, 15.50 and 19.56% for petroleum ether, acetone and hexane, respectively. Single factor ANOVA (P<0.05) shows that the physiochemical properties varied significantly with solvent type and drying method. The physiochemical composition of African breadfruit samples investigated in this study could be considered satisfactory as it compared favourably with results of similar studies in this area. Further studies are on-going on intensive edible test and separation refining of the oil sample to further establish and expand the results of this preliminary study. Key words: Treculia africana, extraction, solvent, physico-chemical.