Analysis of Some Mineral Contents of Coconut Water
CHAPTER ONE
Objectives Of Study
The main aim of the study is to analyze of some mineral contents of coconut water. This research is also aimed at analyzing the levels of sodium, potassium, calcium, iron, zinc and magnesium in the coconut water and meat in five different coconut cultivars commonly available in Nigeria.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Coconut (Cocos nucifera)
The coconut tree (cocos nucifera) is a member of the family Arecaceae (palm family). It is the only accepted species in the genus cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire cocnut palm, the seed or the fruit, which botanically is a drupe, not a nut. The spelling coconut is an archaic form of the word. The term is derived from the 16th-century Portuguese and Spanish word coco meaning “head” or “skull” from the three indentations on the coconut shell that resemble facial features.
The coconut is known for its great versatility as seen in the many uses of its different parts and found throughout the tropics and subtropics. Coconuts are the part of the daily diets of many people coconut is different from any other fruits because they contain a large quantity of “water” and when immature they are known as tender-nuts or jelly-nuts and may be harvested for drinking. When mature, they still contain some water and can be usedd as seed-nuts or processed to give oil from the kernel, char coal from the hard shell and coir from the fibrous husk. The endosperm is initially in its nuclear phase suspended within the coconut water. As development continues, cellular layers of endosperm deposit along the walls of the coconut, becoming the edible coconut “flesh” when dried, the coconut flesh is called copra. The oil and milk derived from it are commonly used in cooking and frying, coconut oil is also widely used in cooking and cosmetic. The clear liquid coconut water within is potable. The husks and leaves can be usedd as materials to make a variety of products for furnishing and decorating, it also has cultural and religious significance in many societies that use it.
DESCRIPTION
Plant Cocos nucifera is a large palm, growing up to 30m (98ft) tall, with pinnate leaves 4-6m (13-20ft) long and pinnae 60-90 long old leaves break away cleanly, leaving the trunk smooth. Coconutsm are generally classified into two general types, tall and dwarf. On very fertile land, a tall coconut palm tree can yield up to 75 fruits per year, but more often yields less than 30, mainly due to poor cultural practices. Given proper care and growing conditions coconut palms produce the first fruits in six to ten years, it takes 15-230 years to reach peak production.
Fruits botanically, the coconut fruits is a drupe not a true nut like other fruits, it has three layers the exocarp, mesocard and endocarp. The exocarp and mesocarp make up the “husk” of the coconut. Coconuts sold in the shops of nontropical countries often have had the exocarp (outermost layer) removed. The mesocarp is composed of a fiber, called coir, which has many traditional and commercial uses. The shell has three germination pores (stoma) or “eyes” that are clearly visible on its outside surface once the husk is removed.
A full size coconut weighs about 1.44kg (3-216). It takes around 6,000 full grown coconuts to produce a tone of corpa.
Roots unlike some other plants, the palm tree have neither a tap root nor root hairs, but have fibrous root system.
The coconut palm root system consists of an abundance of thin rooks that grow outward from the plant near the surface. Only a few of the root penetrate deep into the soil for stability. The type of root system is known as fibrous or adventitious and is a characteristic of grass species. Other types of large trees produce a single downward-growing tap root with a number of feeder roots growing from it.
Coconut palms continue to produce roots from the base of the stem throughout its life. The number of roots produced depends on the age of the tree and the environment, with more than 3,600 roots possible on a tree that is 60 to 70 years old. Roots are uniformly thick from the tree trunk to the root tip.
CHAPTER THREE
Materials and Methods
Sample Collection
Five different cultivars of coconut samples were obtained in their dry conditions and the following drupes were randomly selected from four different states in Nigeria.
- Hybrid dwarf coconut popularly called Badagry hybrid purchased from Abubakar Rimi Market in Kano, Nigeria. [HCWB(water) and HCMB(meat)].
- Hybrid dwarf Badagry hybrid characterized by its larger size of copra content purchased at Odu – Oba market in Ogbomosho, Nigeria. [HCWBB (water) and HCMBB (meat)].
- Hybrid dwarf coconut popularly called Ghana hybrid purchased from Yanlemu area of Na’ibaawa in Kano, Nigeria. [HCWG (water) and HCMG (meat)].
- West Africa Tall known as Ata – hunawa from the local farm, Isunwe in Okene, Nigeria. [TCWO (water) and TCMO (meat)].
- Hybrid dwarf coconut collected at the GRA in Kontagora, Nigeria. [HCWK(water) and HCMK (meat)].
Sample Treatment
Collection of Coconut Water
The coconut water was collected by cracking the coconut shell and the water drained directly into a Buchner funnel fitted with a whatman filter paper cat no. 1001.125. The filtrate was transferred into a 250ml screw capped plastic bottles and stored in the refrigerator at 4oC.
Preparation of Coconut Copra (Meat) sample
The coconut meat was collected and oven – dried at 90oC over night, cool and ground into a fine powder using mortar and pestle. The powder was transferred into a plastic container and labeled.
Determination of Mineral in the Coconut Water
Twenty (20) cm3 of the coconut water sample was measured into dry 250ml beaker and heated to dryness on a sand bath. Ten (10) cm3 of 1M HNO3 was then added to the residue and heated to dryness. To the resultant solution, 15cm3 of deionized water was added and filtered through whatman filter paper No. 1001.125 into 100ml standard bottles and made up to the mark using deionized water. The solution was used for mineral analysis using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Buck Scientific model 210 VGP) and flame photometer (Jenway model).
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Results
Concentrations of the minerals in the coconut endosperm tissues
The mean concentrations of the minerals in the coconut endosperm tissues (coconut water and coconut meat) of the samples analyzed.
The results indicate that coconut meat is richer in mineral content than the coconut water. This result shows a good agreement with the results reported by other researchers (Solangi and Iqbal, 2011; Jean et al. 2009; Santoso et al. 1996)
The levels of Na and K are however higher in coconut meats while the waters are rich in Na and Ca when compared to the other minerals (Figure 3). The traditional coconut meat from okene recorded highest level of Na(7809.25+ 436.41 µg/g) while high level of K(1375+0.00 µg/g) was observed for hybrid coconut meat from Kontogora.
Discussion
The use of coconut water in dehydration, as a sport drink and in treatment of a number of diseases such as congestive cardiac diseases, diabetes and infectious diseases have been reported (Bruce, 2005; Saat et al. 2002; Adam and Bratt, 1992). Sodium also play a role in the normal irritability of muscles and cell permeability (Grim et al. 1980) while potassium is a major cation of intracellular fluid involved in protein synthesis. Studies have shown that most high protein foods are rich in both sodium and potassium (Fregley, 1984).
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION
The mineral levels such as Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, and Zn in the endosperm tissues of coconut fruits of the various cultivars studied are in accordance with literature values with few exceptions and deviations. The levels of potassium in the coconut water though lower than in the meat but high enough to replenish the electrolyte composition in body fluids. It can therefore be used as a first aid treatment for hydration and resuscitation of critically ill patients prior to proper medical attention.
Furthermore, the coconut endosperm tissues could provide the much needed sources of some of the essential minerals and can serve as a good dietary supplement. It is economically affordable and the advantage of its use as a natural resource could be of immense benefit especially in the less developed areas where this fruit is abundant.
REFERENCES
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