CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Pterocarpus mildbreadii are trees with edible parts successfully

budded pterocarpus species (P.Soyauxii and P. mildbeadii are reported to

have different patterns of leaf flush one spontanous and the other

intermitted making the first suitable for commercial production and the

second the home production (Okafor 1978). Pterocarpus mildbreadii

being the major case study both the vegetable and the seeds.

The vegetable is majorly used in our various home for cooking.

Pterocarpus mildbreadii (Oha seed) are not consumed by the people

from the eastern part of Nigeria. So it cannot be majorly stated the

content of this oha seed.

The demand for vegetable oils as a result of diminishing source of

oils and fats creates the needs for new sources as well as exploiting

sources that are currently unexploited in order to supplement the existing

ones (Minzangi et al. 2011).

As industrialists continues to rely mostly on the popular vegetable

oil like coconut oil soyabeans oil ground nut oil palm oil etc. for the

preparation and production of their various products.

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Plant lipids also posses nutritive value and have an impact on

human nutrition and the world economy.more than three quarters of the

edible and industrial oils marketed annually are derived from seed and

fruit triglycerol (Schimid & Ohlrogge 2002). Seeds have nutritive and

calorific value which makes them necessary in diets. They are good

sources of edible oils and fats. The amount of energy provide by 1g of

fat and oil when fully digested is more than twice as many joules of

protein and carbohydrate do. Fats makes meals more satisfying enrich its

flavor and delay the unset of hunger (Odoemelan 2005). Unfortunately

insufficient availability of animal protein and the costliness of available

plant protein sources have also increased the need for research on

revealing lesser known under-utilized legumes and oil seeds of nutritive

value (Schimid & Ohlrogge 2002).

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