Physico-chemical attributes of wild mango (Irvingia gabonensis) seeds

The physico-chemical qualities of seeds from three different varieties of wild mangoes (fruits with inedible pulp, fruits with slightly-bitter edible pulp and fruits with sweet edible pulp) were assessed. Fresh wild mango seeds had 44•0 – 45•8% moisture content. Crude fat and protein contents ranged from 66•4 to 69•7% and from 8•3 to 8•7%, respectively. The light-yellow, solid fat from the seeds had a relatively high melting point (39–40°C), saponification value (212•7 – 219•2) and smoking point (213–215°C), but a relatively low free-fatty-acid value (0• 25– 0•30%), iodine value (3•5-4•2) and peroxide value (1• 95– 1•99 meq/kg). Varietal differences were observed in the chemical quality of the fats, with the fat from the inedible-pulp variety having lower iodine and saponification values. Rheological evaluation of mucilagenous solutions from the kernels revealed pseudoplastic flow properties with the apparent viscosity being dependent on temperature and shear rate. The higher the temperature and/or shear rate, the lower the apparent viscosity. The implications of these findings for potential industrial utilization of wild mango seeds are discussed.