Physico-chemical and Nutritive Properties of Seeds and Oil deriving from the Sweet Pea (Cyperus esculentus L.) Marketed in Côte d’Ivoire

Aims: To assess physico-chemical and nutritive traits in seeds and seed oil of the sweet pea marketed in Abidjan and consumed in Côte d'Ivoire.

Study Design: Pool of sweet pea seeds samples gathered from communal markets in District of Abidjan. Biochemical parameters investigated, and then sweet pea oil extracted from dried seeds and characterized for its main properties.

Place and Duration of Study: Laboratory of Biochemistry and Food Sciences, Department of Biochemistry, Biosciences Unit, between January and May 2015.

Methodology: Sweet pea seeds gathered from nine communal wholesale markets considered in three communes of the District of Abidjan, three markets each commune. A pool of 5 kg of the overall sweet pea seeds samples was constituted. Then, biochemical parameters (moisture, proteins, lipids, ash, glucides, caloric value, and carbohydrates components) of the seeds samples were evaluated with official standard methods. Furthermore, the oil extracted from dried sweet pea seeds was characterized for properties: oil physicochemical quality (oil density, iodine, and peroxide and saponification indexes, acid value) and biochemical parameters (saturated and unsaturated fatty acids).

Results: The sweet pea seeds are with high contents of glucides (41.60±0.36 %), lipids (25.40±0.09%), and fibers (27.40±0.02%) and provide 8.25±0.01% of proteins. The most abundant glucides are starch (24.44±0.40 g/100 g) and sucrose (14.7±0.01%). The oil resulting from sweet pea seeds is richer in unsaturations, with iodine index of 130.9±0.88 g of I2/100 g and unsaturated fatty acid content of 78.73%. This oil also reveals acceptable quality, with acid value of 1.18±0.05 mg KOH/g, peroxide index of 2.80±0.43 mEq O2/kg, and contains secondary phytonutrients gathered within 0.96±0.012% of unsaponifiable compounds.

Conclusion: Thanks to the significant nutritive properties of the raw sweet pea seeds, and then the quality of their oil, especially the rather presence of unsaturated fatty acids, valorization of sweet pea seeds in foodstuffs could increase the profitability of this culture.