Comparison of Proximate Composition of Some Cultivars of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Cultivated in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The proximate composition of some cultivars of chickpea grown in Department of Crop Science and Technology, Postgraduate Teaching and Research farm Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO was investigated and compared. Two chickpea types namely Kabuli (ICCK 7323 and ICCK 9895) and Desi (cultivars ICCD 867, ICCD 12866, ICCD 8522, and ICCD 9586) were used in the work. The chickpea seeds were respectively crushed into meal and analyzed for Moisture, Protein, Fat, Fibre, Ash, Carbohydrate and Energy value using standard methods. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out using the Duncan New Multiple Test at (p<0.05). The proximate composition of all the chickpea cultivars were significantly (p<0.05) different from each other. The ranges were protein (12.72% to 19.46%); Ash ((3.05% to 10.85%), Energy value (345.6kcal/g to 450.67kcal/g) and Carbohydrate (8.81% to 39.80%). Cultivar ICCK7323 (Kabuli-type) had the highest protein content (19.46%), and cultivar ICCD867 (Desi-type) had the highest crude fibre (11.18%) and ash (10.85%) content respectively. Similarly, cultivar ICCK9895 (Kabuli-type) had the highest carbohydrate content (39.80%) while cultivar ICCD12866 (Desi-type) had the highest energy value (450.67kcal/g). Results show that chickpea cultivars (Kabuli-type) had higher values in protein, crude fibre, and carbohydrate, while cultivars (Desi-type) had higher values in fat, ash and energy.

Keywords: Chickpea, cultivars, proximate composition, sensory comparison