Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2017) 6(4): 2654-2663 2654 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2017.604.309 Antioxidant Activity and Nutritional Value of Roselle Seeds Flour Karma Bako Rimamcwe and U.D. Chavan* Department of Food Science and Technology, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn.) is a tropical plant belonging to the Family Malvaceae and widely cultivated for its jute like fiber in India, the East Indies, Nigeria and to some extent in tropical America (Yayock, 1988). A woody sub-shrub growing 7-8 feet (2-2.5m) tall, acting as annual or perennial, takes about six months to mature. The mature plants are highly drought resistant but may require water during dry periods when soil moisture is depleted to the point where wilting occurs. Roselle requires a chalky, loamy and peat-rich soil with pH of 7.6-9.0; and grows best in weakly alkaline soil (Myfolia, 2016). The seed plant use for this study belong to the genius Hibiscus with more than 350 specie distributed in tropical and subtropical regions around the world and many are believed to have certain medicinal properties and have been used in traditional medicine for many centuries (Al-Wandawi, 2015). The specie Hibiscus sabdariffa comprises a large number of cultivated types classified broadly into two varieties, H. sabdariffa var. sabdariffa and H. sabdariffa var. altissima Wester. The former International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 4 (2017) pp. 2654-2663 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com The outcomes for preliminary investigation on Roselle seed flour revealed appreciable proximate and mineral compositions suggesting a strong positive correlation between protein and inorganic mineral contents. This shows that Roselle seed is a dense mineral source and confirmed that Roselle seed is a rich source of nutrients. The outcomes for calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) corroborate the findings reported by previous scientists. The study of anti-nutritional factor showed the simple process of soaking and germination could have a significant effect in the reduction of phytate and polyphenols concentration in the seed, as this constituents could forms complexes with protein and minerals reducing the biological value of the seed. Studies of free radical scavenging activity on Roselle seed flour pre-treatments showed that the sprouted treatments had shown an appreciable boost in radical activity verifying an improved hydrogen donating ability compared to the un-sprouted treatments as control. Hydroxyl radical is an extremely reactive oxygen species having the capability to modify almost every molecule in the body. The scavenging potential of sprouted Roselle seed extract could provide medical application in the production of health food; these free radicals have been implicated for aging as well as food and chemical deterioration consequently Roselle can prevent cancer, lower blood pressure and improve the digestive system in humans. Keywords Roselle seed flour, Nutritional value, Antioxidant activity, Antinutritional factors. Accepted: 25 March 2017 Available Online: 10 April 2017 Article Info