Profiling of Health and Nutritional Components in Jackfruit Variety - ‘Muttomvarikka’

Background: Jackfruit or ‘panasa’ scientifically known as Artocarpus heterophyllus. Lam belongs to the family Moraceae. Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam., is a tropical climacteric fruit and is native to Western Ghats of India and common in Asia, Africa and some regions in South America. It is known to be the largest edible fruit in the world. Jackfruit is rich in nutrients including carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Both the seeds and the flesh of jackfruits are consumed as curries and boiled forms, while the flesh in fully ripened stage can be eaten directly as a fruit. This study was carried out to ascertain the bioactive compounds and nutrients present in the variety of jackfruit released by Kerala Agricultural University -Muttomvarikka. Method: Raw bulb and seeds from fruits of 12 week maturity, along with manifestations like flattening of spikes, change from green to pale green, hollow sound, last leaf in the stalk turning yellow, were considered for selection. The analyses for nutritional and biochemical parameters were conducted using standard protocols. Result: Muttomvarikka ripe seeds recorded higher content of protein (7.99 g) than raw seeds and bulbs. Fibre content of the samples revealed a range of 2.3% to 7.6%. Ripe bulb had higher beta carotene content (5.77 mg/g) than raw bulb and seeds. Carbohydrate content in seeds were higher than bulbs in both raw and ripe stages. Alkaloid content was higher in ripe bulbs and flavonoid content was higher in raw seeds; 19.32 mg of poly phenol was present in 100 g of ripe bulb, which was higher than raw stage. Antioxidant concentration was higher in koozha raw bulbs than ripe bulbs and seeds.