J. Sci. Food Agric.

1982,33, 1319-1 323

Components of Nutritional Interest

in Carob Pods (Ceratonia siliqua)
Fulgancio S. Calixto and Jaime Caiiellas
Science Fnculiy, Unicersity of Palm0 de Mnllorcn, Spain
(Manitscript received 5 May 1982)

Determination of the tannins, pectins, hemicellulose, cellulose, nitrogen, mineral

elements, total and reducing sugars and fat contents was carried out on carob pods
from Mallorca, Spain. The results are compared with data from the literature. A
survey of papers on the composition and practical applications of carob pods is
included.
1. Introduction

The carob tree is widely cultivated in Mediterranean countries. Current production of the fruit
in Spain is about 200 OOO tonnes/year, of which 27 OOO tonnes are from the Balearic Islands.
The seeds, which represent about 10% of the weight of the fruit, are composed principally of
galactomannans.*-4 Other components and the general composition of the seed have been studied
by several auth0rs.5-~The gum-aqueous solutions have a high viscosity even at low concentrations.
For this reason the gum is used as a substitute for pectins, agar and other mucilagenous substances.
It is used as a thickener, microorganism growth medium, food stabiliser and has other applications
in the textile, food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.
Carob pods8-10-11 have a high content of soluble sugars-about 40%-and a low content of
fats and proteins. Principal sugars are maltose, glucose, fructose and sucrose.1z Rendina et a1.6
found equal amounts of saturated and unsaturated acids in the fat and Castek and Kljaic13 found
0.2 % hydrocarbons, principally Cl6-32.
Carob pods contain appreciable amounts of tannins, most of them highly condensed p ~ l y p h e n o l s . ~ ~
Nachtomi and Alumot15 found gallic acid to be the main constituent of the low-molecular weight
fraction obtained from ripe carobs. Joslyn et al.I6 studied leucoanthocyanins and related phenolic
compounds of green and ripe pods. Tamir et al.17 concluded that polymeric condensed tannins
from ripe carobs consisted of subunits of flavan-3-01s and their gallate esters. Ito and Joslynls
found gallic acid, 1-epicatechol, 1-gallocatechol, 1-epicatecho1 gallate, phloroglucinol, ferulic
acid, quercetin and rnyrecitin. Nishira and Joslyn19 identified glucogallin and galloylglucose in the
hydrolysable tannins of green carobs.
The pulp of the fruit is used to obtain alcohol with a yield of 23-24 litres per 100 kg and the COZ
produced is also collected.10 Loo20isolated sucrose with a yield of 26% and the residue was used as
animal feed or fertiliser. CortCsZl studied a method for the extraction of sugars with ion-exchange
resins. Many authorsZ2-30 employ a carob sugar medium with ammonium salts for microbial
protein production, inoculating the material with Aspergillus niger, Fusarium moniliforme, Rhizopus
~ 2
the effect of carob pod
oligosporus or Monascus ruber. Tagari et al.3' and Henis er ~ 1 . studied
extracts on the morphology and growth of digestive microorganisms. Nutritional values and fodder
mixtures were studied by Rogato et ~ 1and. Bugarski
~ ~ et ~ 1 . Other
3 ~ a ~ t h o r s Z Ohave
~ ~ ~studied
*~~
the influence of the polyphenols of carob pods on the metabolism in chicks and rats.
~~
Carob pods are also used in the preparation of anti-arrheic and antiemetic p r o d u ~ t s , 3 8 -pastry
baking,40 to increase the compressive strength of concrete4' and as an ice cream stabili~er,4~
0022-5142/82/1200-1319 $02.00 0 1982 Society of Chemical Industry
1319

1320

F. S. Calixto and J. Cailellas

a caffeine absorbent,43 an ensiling agent for green f0rage,~4an explosive thickener45, an absorbent
of bitter ~ e p t i d ea, ~
reducing
~
agent of pyrene and phenolic content of smoke,a7 and as a substitute
for cocoa p o ~ d e r . ~ ~ - ~ ~
Farmers on the island of Mallorca mix carob pod flour with insecticides such as sodium fluosilicate
and spread the mixture on the soil to control orthopterous worms and crickets. In some zones of
cold countries carob pods are spread on the snow to feed deer during the winter.
2. Experimental
The samples used in all analyses were mixtures of pods of the principal commercially available
carob varieties which are cultivated on the island of Mallorca, Spain.
The seeds were removed and analyses carried out on dry pulp homogenised and ground to
particles of G0.5 mm. Moisture, ash, fat and total nitrogen were determined by AOAC methods.50
Determinations of total and reducing sugars were carried out by the Haas and Walker method~,~l.52
respectively, on extracts in 80% ethanol.
Samples were treated with 5 % trichloroacetic acid and non-protein and protein-nitrogen were
determined in the supernatant and residue, respectively, by the semimicro Kjeldahl method.
Classical colorimetric methods for the determination of proteins, such as the Lowry53 and Gornall
B i ~ r e procedures,
t~~
present problems because of the appearance of coloured solutions and interference by tannins.
Hemicellulose content was determined by the Van Soest procedure55.56 and the residue was
treated with KMn04 to determine cellulose content.
Pectins were determined in solutions obtained by treating samples without soluble sugars with
water at room temperature and with 0 . 0 5 ~HCI at 80"C57 following the carbazol meth0d5~
with galacturonic acid as a standard.
Tannins were determined by AOAC method 30.018 using D-Catechin as a standard. Extracts
were obtained with cold water, ethyl acetate and ethanol (stirred for 30 min) and hot water (lOOC,
stirred for 2 h).
Mineral elements were determined with a Perkin Elmer 703 atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Ash was dissolved in concentrated acid and solutions were prepared for each element
following experimental conditions for vegetable matter published by Pinta.59
3. Results and discussion

In all cases the assays were carried out on five different samples with very similar results. These
results are expressed as the average value f t.s./dn, where t = student value (a= 0.05), s = standard
deviation and n = number of assays. The results are expressed as dry matter.
3.1. General data

Results of moisture, fat, ash and sugar determinations are shown in Table I and are compared with
literature values.
Table 1. Composition of carob pods: moisture, ash, fat and sugars.
Moisture
g 100 g-'
Experimental data
Literature data

15.58k0.17
15.0"
12-1812
15.921

Ash

Fat
g 100 g-1 dry matter

2.69k0.10
2.9-3.0"
2.0-3.0'2
2.572l
3.349

0.7320.08
0.47-0.65"
0.4921
0.633
1.129

Total sol.
sugars
41.1k2.3
48-52''
40.722l
32-448

Reducing
sugars
14.8k0.7
12.8-13.4'l
9-1P
7.9421

Components of nutritional interest in carob pods

1321

No important differences in moisture, fat and ash contents have been reported by different
authors although there were significant differences in the content of total and reducing sugars.
This fraction varies greatly and depends on the origin of the fruits.
Mineral composition, expressed in mg 100 g-l of dry matter, were: K = 1108 f 130; Ca= 307i- 19;
Mg=42.2+5; Na=13.1 k 1.8; Cu=0.23f0.02; Fe=1.04+0.07; Mn=0.40f.0.05: Zn=0.59f
0.02.
3.2. Nitrogen and protein
Total nitrogen was 0.68 f. 0.02 g 100 g- corresponding to 0.23 f. 0.02 for non-protein nitrogen and
0.48 5 0.01 for protein-nitrogen. Protein content (protein-nitrogen x 6.25) was 3.0 g 100 g-l.
Literature values are higher4.06 %,21 4.7 %,l2 5.5 %l-possibly because the authors calculated
these values as total N x 6.25, without considering the non-protein nitrogen content.
The protein has a low digestibility20because it is bonded to tannins and fibre. This was confirmed
by determining total nitrogen in the acid detergent fibre (ADF) when 2% was found. Analyses of
tannins and pectins in ADF were also positive.
3.3. Pectins, hemicellulose and cellulose

Pectins soluble in water were 0.55f0.05 g 100 g-l and pectins soluble in 0 . 0 5 ~HCI at 80C
were 1.05 kO.09 g 100 g-l. Hemicellulose and cellulose contents were 5.02k0.33 and 7.10f.0.50
g 100 g--1respectively.
These components have great nutritional interest and many studies have been made on their
physiological effects.60-61However no bibliographic data have been found concerning their
occurrence in carob pods.
3.4. Polyphenols
Phenolic compounds are present in vegetables and, although food composition tables do not indicate tannin content, they have important biological activity and their nutritional effects have been
amply studied.62
Firstly, the polyphenols were determined in cold water and pods were found to contain 1.87k
0.09 g 100 8-1. The residue was then treated with hot water for 2 h at 100C yielding a further
1.89 t 0.07 g 100-1g to give a total of 3.8 g 100 g -1 water soluble polyphenols. The results agree with
the 4 % reported by Tamir er 4 1 7 who also indicated that tannins in carob pods are barely soluble
in water. In this study 1.16 f 0.03 g 100 g-1 soluble in ethanol (98 %), and 0.05 f.0.005 g 100 8-1 soluble
in ethyl acetate were found. Wursch,14 however, after heating with water at 130C, obtained a
fibre which had 44.4% of tannins. This result expressed as dry matter would be approximately
equivalent to 10%. This amount of condensed tannins has a negative influence on digestibility.
Its nutritional effects have been studied by several a~thors.3~-37,62
Acknowledgement

The authors wish to express their gratitude to Caja de Ahorros de las Baleares, Sa Nostra without
whose help this study would not have been possible.
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