Nutritional and Phytochemical Profiling of Red, Pink and White Varieties of Cola nitida from South West Nigeria

Aim: This study aimed to elucidate the nutritional and phytochemical characteristics of different colour shades of Cola nitida seeds and determine whether colour variation influences their bioactive composition. Study Design: An experimental study comparing three colour variants (red, pink, and white) of both cured and uncured C. nitida seeds. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Value Addition Research Department of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Ibadan, Nigeria, within the period of 12 months”. Methodology: The three known colour variants (red, pink, and white) of cured and uncured C. nitida seeds were pulverized into powder form. Subsequently, the samples underwent a comprehensive analysis, including sensory evaluation, proximate composition analysis, mineral profiling, and phytochemical assessment. The data obtained were analysed statistically with statistical significance level of p<0.05. Results: Proximate analysis showed no significant differences among the different colour variants (p<0.05) in crude fat (2.56 – 2.98 %), ash (2.27 – 2.63 %), moisture (9.66 – 9.97 %), and dry matter (90.03 – 90.34 %). However, crude protein content varied, with red cured kolanut (RCK) having the highest value (15.29 %), followed by pink cured kolanut (PCK, 14.38 %) and white cured kolanut (WCK, 13.88 %). Conversely, carbohydrate content was highest in WCK (67.18 %), followed by PCK and RCK. Mineral analysis revealed that potassium (K) and iron (Fe) were present in the highest concentrations of 0.9 % and 280 mg/kg respectively for PCK. Caffeine content ranged from 0.102 to 0.167 %, with no significant differences observed among the colour variants at p<0.05. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that curing and colour variation influence selected nutritional and phytochemical attributes of C. nitida seeds. While most proximate parameters showed no significant differences across the variants, notable variations were observed in protein, carbohydrate, and mineral composition. Red cured kolanut exhibited higher protein content, whereas pink cured kolanut showed relatively elevated mineral levels.