Chemical composition of processed fresh and dried garden egg (<i>Solanum macrocarpon</i> L.) and unripe pawpaw (<i>Carica papaya</i> L.) fruits chips

The study examined the chemical composition of fresh and dried garden eggs (Solanum macrocarpon L.) and unripe pawpaw chips (Carica papaya L.). Unripe processed caricapapaya and garden eggs fruits chips in some Nigerian communities especially Benue State are utilised as ingredients in soups, however it’s unclear how nutritious the variably processed versions are. This study’s main focus was to determine the nutritional quality of traditionally processed unripe C. papaya and garden egg fruit chips.The fruits were processed and sundried for 72 h. Proximate and micronutrient compositions were determined using standard procedures. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Duncan’s new multiple range test at 5% probability was used to separate and compare means and was accepted at (p ≤ 0.05). Proximate composition for fresh uncooked pawpaw fruits had higher carbohydrate 20.55± 0.01 mg, crude fibre 2.68±0.01 mg, protein 1.65±0.01 mg, ash 1.45±0.01 mg and fat 1.10±0.01 mg except for moisture relative to those of garden egg fruits moisture 90.54±0.01 mg, carbohydrate 3.92±0.01 mg, fibre 2.55±0.01 mg, protein 1.52±0.01 mg, ash 1.36±0.01 mg and fat 0.11±0.01 mg%, respectively. Dehydration increased nutrient values for garden egg fruits relative to pawpaw fruits. Vitamin profiles for fresh and sun-dried pawpaw and garden egg fruits had differences. Dehydration decreased β-carotene, thiamin and vitamin C values for pawpaw. It increased thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and pyridoxine values for garden egg fruits. Both fruits were rich in nutrients; traditional processing may not adversely affect their proximate composition. Since these fruits are typically processed with soup thickness before eating, the evident loss of vitamins and minerals should be mitigated by adding extra high-quality sources.