Physicochemical and Morphological Characterization of the Skin, Pupa, and Seeds of Flacourtia jangomas (Lour) Raeusch Fruit from Kindzaba, Bouenza Department

The fruit of Flacourtia jangomas, known as Indian plum, Madagascan plum, or coffee plum, is highly prized in Asian and African countries for its pleasant sweet and sour taste. Very little research has been done on this fruit in Congo, so the aim of our work is to evaluate the morphological and biochemical composition of the pulp, skin, and seeds of Flacourtia jangomas (Lour) Raeusch fruits harvested in the village of Kindzaba in Loutété, in the Bouenza region. Standard physicochemical methods and appropriate calibration methods were used to characterize the fruits. The results on morphology showed variation in the different structural parts of the fruit according to the three sizes identified. Furthermore, although the data on the mass percentage of pulp, skin, and seeds were significantly different (α < 0.05), they indicate that fruit size is not an obstacle to the manufacture of value-added products. The biochemical results for the fruit showed that the pulp and skin contained a large amount of water (69.03 ± 1.19%) and soluble sugars based on glucose (0.99 ± 0.02%) compared to the seeds. However, the seeds were found to have a higher content of ash (2.86 ± 0.78%), protein (5.06 ± 0.11%), lipids (9.47 ± 0.09%), total sugars (74.63 ± 1.06%), and dry solids (92.02%). The energy value was 134.73 ± 1.03 Kcal in the pulp-skin and 403.99 ± 1.86 Kcal in the seeds. The pH of the pulp/skin (3.38 ± 0.70) is lower than that of the seeds (5.36 ± 0.04); the pulp/skin is much more acidic than the seeds. Finally, these results are conclusive and provide information on the potential of all the fruit structures of the Indian plum.