Study of the nutritional value of black cumin seeds (Nigella sativa L)

The nutritional value of five samples of black cumin seeds from five different sources available in the local market were studied. The average values of the proximate analysis on dry matter basis were 216 g kg(-1) for crude protein, 406 g fat, 45 g ash, 84 g crude fibre and 249 g of nitrogen-free extract, whereas moisture content was 38 g kg(-1). The mineral and vitamin analyses showed that black cumin seeds contained iron, (105 mg k(-1)) copper (18 mg), zinc (60 mg) phosphorus (527 mg), calcium (1860 mg) thiamin (15.4 mg), niacin (57 me), pyridoxine (5.0 mg) and folic acid (160 pg). The protein quality of black cumin seeds was evaluated using net protein utilisation (NPU), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and net dietary protein energy percent (NDPE %) for two samples imported from Syria and Turkey, while PER was determined for the Syrian sample only. The results indicated that the NPU standardised of Turkish black cumin seeds was significantly higher than that of Syrian type (P < 0.05). The mean results (+/- SD) were 54.6 +/- 2.72 for the Syrian type and 63.1 +/- 3.74 for the Turkish type. The NDPE% mean results (+/- SD) were 5.3 +/- 0.79 and 5.6 +/- 0.26 for the Syrian and the Turkish samples, respectively, The PER adjusted value for the Syrian samples was 1.9, The results of protein quality evaluation and those of the nutrient composition suggest that black cumin is of relatively goad nutritional value. (C) 1998 SCI.