Physicochemical, antioxidant, antinutritional and sensory –properties of Tamarind (Tamarindus indica)

The sweet, acidic pulp of the tropical fruit known as the tamarind (Tamarindus indica, Fabaceae), which is found throughout Africa and Asia, is highly prized. Ethiopia's Dire Dawa is home to a large tamarind consumption. This study aimed to investigate the physicochemical, antioxidant, antibacterial, antinutritional, and sensory properties of tamarind indica pulp under different processing conditions (roasted and soaking). As a remedy, tamarind pulp that had been raw, steeped, and roasted was utilized. These treatments were examined for their antinutritional capabilities using the disc diffusion method, their proximate composition using gravimetric analysis, their antioxidant and antinutritional components using UV spectrophotometry, and their sugar profile using HPLC. All but crude fat showed a significant (p<0.05) difference in proximate composition between the soaked, roasted, and control samples. The mineral profile revealed the presence of calcium, magnesium, manganese, sodium, and potassium, and a significant difference (p < 0.05) was found between the treatments. The antinutritional analysis showed that both soaked and roasted tamarind had a significant reduction in tannin, phytate, and oxalate. Tamarind fruit extract had 76.12 µg/mL, 79.86 µg/mL, and 105.51 µg/mL antioxidant activity in the DPPH assay for control, soaked, and roasted treatments, respectively. In comparison to the control treatment, the results showed that soaking and roasting enhanced the nutritional profile, antioxidant and sensory qualities, and decreased the antinutritional aspects. This could be helpful input for making the most of and promoting the traditional uses of tamarind in the community.