Effect of Preservation Methods of Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis) Sap and Wine on the Mineral and Vitamin Compositions for Reproductive Health

Abstract

Fifteen litres of freshly tapped oil palm sap were collected from a palm wine tapper at Ajuona-Nsukka, Enugu State, in a cooler packed with ice blocks, and divided into three lots. Each lot (5 L) was subjected to either heat treatment (70^oC for 40 min to obtain pasteurized palm sap), freezing (- 4^oC till frozen), or left untreated to serve as fresh palm sap along with 5 litre of market palm wine, bought from Ogbete Main market, Nsukka. Pasteurized palm sap had significantly (p<0.05) higher levels of vitamin A and β-carotene when compared to the other samples probably as a result of concentration due to its lower moisture content. The levels of vitamin A and β-carotene contents decreased in the following order; pasteurized palm sap fresh palm sap, frozen palm sap, and palm wine. The presence of vitamin A in tap water may be as a result of contamination by algae present in the tap hole. Vitamin C content of the samples were 1.48±0.24%, 1.17±0.19%, 0.62±0.00%, and 0.44±0.05 (%) for fresh palm sap, frozen palm sap, market palm wine and pasteurized palm sap, respectively. The mineral contents of the samples showed that copper was not detected in all the samples except in the market palm wine which contained 0.057 + 0.001ppm. The presence of copper in the market palm wine may be an indication of contamination of palm wine by the mineral. The equipments for handling of palm sap and wine should therefore be free of copper so as to avoid high concentration of copper in the samples that may be harmful to the health of consuming public. It was asserted that despite the level of palm sap in palm products, the proportional equivalence of any mineral or vitamin in relation to others is more important for its absorption in the blood stream. Also, higher accumulation of any given vitamin and minerals could result to intoxication and thus affect, not only reproductive health, but also overall health indices of an individual.

Keywords: Palm sap, Palm wine, Vitamins, Minerals, Reproduction, Preservation