Evaluation of the effects of drying methods on the nutritional composition of jute mallow (<i>Corchorus olitorius</i>) Fruits

Background: There are huge on-farm losses of Corchorus olitorius fruit due to poor awareness of its nutritional potentials. Postharvest losses of Corchorus fruit occur in Nigerian communities due to poor postharvest handling and lack of effective processing methods. There is need for a sustainable processing method that extends the shelf-life of Corchorus fruit without reducing its nutritional qualities.Objective: This study investigated the effects of various drying methods on the nutritional composition of Corchorus fruit.Materials and methods: Tender and fresh Corchorus fruits from a Corchorus evaluation field located at Ikole-Ekiti, Nigeria were collected. The fibous points of attachment of the fruits to the plants were cut off. The oven dried, sundried, air dried and fresh Corchorus fruit samples were analyzed using standard laboratory procedures. The data from the laboratory analyses were subjected to analysis of variance using the R Statistical software.Results: The vitamins, minerals and proximate composition of the Corchorus fruits were significantly (P<0.05) affected by the various drying methods. Sun drying resulted in the highest concentrations of vitamins B3, B5, B6, C, and E and crude protein. Oven-dried samples had the highest concentrations of minerals (potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron, manganese and phosphorus) evaluated except sodium. Air dried Corchorus fruits had the highest concentration of ash and bre. Fresh Corchorus fruits had the lowest concentration of all the nutritional parameters evaluated except vitamin B1.Conclusion: Sun-drying, air-drying and oven-drying can be used in extending the shelf-life of fresh Corchorus fruits without negatively affecting its nutritional qualities.