Proximate Analysis of Three Common Kola Varieties In Nigeria

Three varieties of Kola, Cola acuminata, Cola nitida and Garcinia kola which are tropical African crops were obtained from Ifon-Osun, Osun State, Nigeria. This was with a view to carrying out the proximate analysis of the seeds. The seeds were collected, cured by the traditional method of wrapping in fresh banana leaves to reduce the amount of moisture lost and thereafter kept for two weeks in the laboratory before used.

Proximate analysis of the species was carried out using the methods of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) 1990 with little modification. The results obtained showed that Cola nitida had 62.83 % moisture, 2.83 % ash, 7.72 % crude protein and 2.42 % caffeine. Cola acuminata had 54.33 % moisture, 2.89 % ash, 8.68 % crude protein and 2.65 % caffeine, while, Garcinia kola had 49.16 % moisture, 2.9%ash, 8.67 % crude protein and 2.96 % caffeine.