Amino Acid and Carbohydrate Profiles of Rhynchophorus phoenicis (the Larva of Raffia Palm Weevil)

摘要

The amino acid and carbohydrate compositions of the larva of the raffia palm weevil were determined in this study. Nutritional components such as amino acid and carbohydrate analyses were carried out on the larva. In the larva, the amino acid profile of the protein and carbohydrate composition was determined using high performance liquid chromatography method. The amino acid composition reveals a total of 18 amino acids with glutamic acid (14.46g/100g) and aspartic acid (10.65g/100g) as the predominant amino acids. The amino acids have a total value of 96.06g/100g. The essential amino acids make up 53.08g/100g of the total amino acids. This value represents 55.26% of the total amino acid composition of the raffia palm weevil sample. The larva of the raffia palm weevil has high values of lysine (9.72g/100g), leucine (8.98g/100g) and arginine (6.55g/100g). The essential amino acids: lysine, leucine, isoleucine, threonine, valine, phenylalanine and tyrosine have higher values than the FAO/WHO/UNU reference values for the respective amino acids. The larva is rich in glucose (213.96mg/100g), fructose (42.47mg/100g), and sucrose (36.6mg/100g). The palm weevil larva represents a very good source of protein, a good complement of essential amino acids, and dietary energy.