Agroforest Syst (2012) 85:455–463 DOI 10.1007/s10457-011-9406-3 Variability of Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) fruits’ physical characteristics and nutrient content in the West African Sahel Charles Parkouda • Haby Sanou • Abasse Tougiani • Adama Korbo Dennis S. Nielsen • Kwaku Tano-Debrah • Anders Ræbild • Bréhima Diawara • Jan S. Jensen • Received: 22 June 2010 / Accepted: 13 May 2011 / Published online: 25 May 2011 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011 Abstract The present study was carried out to evaluate variability in fruit characteristics and nutritional quality of Baobab fruits with the aim of providing the background to select trees bearing fruit with desirable characteristics for further utilisation. Vitamin C, total sugar and ash contents were assessed in 178 Baobab fruit samples from 11 sites in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Furthermore the following C. Parkouda (&)  B. Diawara Département Technologie Alimentaire, IRSAT/CNRST, 03 BP 7047, Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso e-mail: cparkouda@yahoo.fr C. Parkouda  D. S. Nielsen Department of Food Science, Centre for Advance Food Studies, Faculty of Life Science, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 30, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark H. Sanou  A. Korbo Institut d’Economie Rurale (IER), Programme Ressources Forestières Sotuba, BP 258, Bamako, Mali A. Tougiani Institut National de Recherche Agronomique du Niger, BP 429, Niamey, Niger tree and fruit physical characteristics were recorded: tree height, bark colour, fruit size, pulp weight, seed weight, seed size and pulp colour. The content (mean ± SD) of vitamin C was 4.78 ± 1.02 g kg-1, sugar 514 ± 72 g kg-1 and fruit weight 293 ± 96 g. There was a significant correlation between annual precipitation of the tree population site and vitamin C content but not with sugar content. For sugar, there were significant positive correlations with latitude and longitude. Negative correlations were found between fruit size and both longitude and latitude with smaller fruits generally being found to the north/east. No relation was found between pulp or bark colour and the sugar or vitamin C content. The contents of protein, lipid, carbohydrates, ash and moisture in the seeds ranged from 156 to 159, 143 to 150, 641 to 652, 44 to 49 and 50 to 55.7 g kg-1 respectively. The variation for vitamin C and sugar found within populations is a first indication that valuable gains could be made by selection of superior trees. Keywords Baobab  Fruit  Vitamin C  Sugar  Nutrients  Agroforestry K. Tano-Debrah Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana Introduction A. Ræbild  J. S. Jensen Landscape and Planning, Centre for Forest, University of Copenhagen, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark In Africa, wild tree fruits constitute an important part of population diets and are also an important source of income for these populations. Mainly consumed 123 456 without processing, they improve the daily food ration as an energy source and through their content in micronutrients (Parkouda et al. 2007). Despite their valuable nutritional content, fruits of only a few wild tree species have been studied (Ambé 2001). The Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) tree is one of the most widely used wild trees providing food, medicine and fodder (Sidibe and Williams 2002). The leaves are used to prepare sauces; the pulp is used to make beverages, and the seeds used as a thickening agent or flavour enhancer (Diop et al. 2005; NRC 2006, 2008; Parkouda et al. 2009). The pulp constitutes the most valuable Baobab product for the international market (Chadare et al. 2009). Indeed, the pulp was found to have a high content of calcium and phosphorus and high levels of vitamin C (Obizoba and Amaechi 1993; Osman 2004; Afolabi and Popoola 2005; Diop et al. 2005). Recently the European Union (EU) commission allowed dried Baobab fruit pulp as a novel food ingredient under Regulation (EC) No 258/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Several studies have reported varying and in some cases high levels of various nutrient elements in Baobab pulp, leaves and seeds such as vitamin C and minerals; (Barminas et al. 1998; Nordeide et al. 1996; Osman 2004; Prentice et al. 1993; Sena et al. 1998; Sidibe and Williams 2002; Yazzie et al. 1994) but no studies have compared the relation between Baobab fruit quality/nutrient content and environmental and geographical patterns. It is well known that the composition of fruits can be influenced by the environment such as soil type, water or sunlight intensity. As an example a study on Shea butter oil composition from 42 populations of Vitellaria paradoxa in 11 countries showed a high variability in all measured parameters, both within and between populations (Maranz et al. 2004). Previous studies have investigated the variation in Baobab taxonomy, distribution, agronomy, and agro ecology (Diop et al. 2005) but to the best of our knowledge, no data exist on variation in Baobab fruit characteristics. With the recent interest for Baobab products, there is a need to provide more information for nutritional and industrial utilisation and an evaluation of within- and among- population variation is necessary in order to know whether certain populations have higher levels of some nutrients. The existence of large variation within and amongst populations may indicate 123 Agroforest Syst (2012) 85:455–463 potential for selection and domestication of superior trees in the farmlands. Consequently, the objective of this study was to determine if there is significant variation in nutritional quality and fruit characters within and amongst Baobab populations in three African Sahelian countries (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger). Materials and methods Sample collection Samples were collected at 11 different locations in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from February to March 2007 as indicated in Table 1. The sites represent various types of Baobab populations from villages to national parks. Geographical coordinates of each individual tree were recorded. Climatic data (yearly average precipitation) were obtained from LocClim (FAO Local Climate Estimator) (LocClim 2002). The driest site at Komodiguili in the Dogon country of Mali has an approximate precipitation of 400 mm per year, and the most humid site is Koumadiobo south of Bamako in Mali with 1100–1200 mm per year. At each site, 6–20 trees were randomly chosen for fruit collection. A minimum of ten mature fruits were collected from each tree. Physical and chemical composition For each fruit the following parameters were measured: fruit weight, fruit length, fruit width, capsule thickness, seed weight, pulp weight and pulp colour (white or cream). Furthermore, tree height and tree bark colour (according to farmers’ classification, for Mali and Burkina Faso samples only) was recorded. After cracking the fruits, the pulp samples were thoroughly ground using a laboratory porcelain mortar and pestle and packed in alimentary opaque bags. Pulp from the ten fruits was pooled to constitute one sample for each tree. Samples were then stored at -20°C until analysis. Dry matter and crude ash were determined by AOAC methods (AOAC 2005). The total sugar analyses of pulp samples were determined following the phenol–sulphuric acid assay (AOAC 2005). Ascorbic acid was determined following the 2, 6-dichlorophenolindophenol dye method (AOAC Site Country Longitude (degree) Latitude (degree) Samé Mali 11.65 W 14.50 N Kourougue Mali 9.15 W 14.20 N Nabougou Mali 6.95 W Koumadiobo Mali Zambougou Mali Rainfall (mm) No. of trees Fruit weight (g) Fruit weight CV% Fruit width/length No. Seeds pr fruit 700 18 130 25 0.39 106.0 700 20 321 34 0.46 276.0 13.39 N 600 14 259 45 0.39 210.0 6.95 W 11.52 N 1100 20 250 40 0.42 194.0 6.52 W 13.17 N 800 19 285 37 0.41 247.0 Komodiguili Mali 3.40 W 14.43 N 450 20 220 38 0.45 174.0 Nankoun Burkina Faso 2.62 W 12.30 N 800 10 338 26 0.46 ND Toulfé Burkina Faso 1.95 W 13.88 N 600 17 201 30 0.42 ND Mansila Burkina Faso 0.05 E 14.04 N 500 6 369 31 0.53 ND Torodi Niger 1.80 E 13.12 N 550 17 358 25 0.48 380.0 Park W Niger 2.43 E 12.48 N 700 17 496 28 0.45 576.0 0.46 270.4 Mean 293 SD 96 0.12 90.0 FSITE 15.0 1.34 38.4 NS *** *** Site Seed weight (g) Pulp weight (g) Pulp/seed weight ratio Sugar (g kg-1 DW) Sugar CV% Vitamin C (g kg-1 DW) Vitamin C CV% Ash (g kg-1 DW) Ash CV% 12 Samé 44.0 21.0 0.48 610 10.7 4.66 24 53 Kourougue 130.0 48.7 0.37 551 6.7 4.80 23 53 8 Nabougou 90.0 50.0 0.55 425 8.9 4.63 24 57 10 Koumadiobo 96.0 34.9 0.38 502 14.7 4.16 26 51 19 Zambougou 115.0 51.7 0.45 528 18.0 3.97 22 55 21 Komodiguili 68.0 26.3 0.36 554 17.1 5.54 18 54 38 Nankoun 131.0 58.2 0.44 497 10.5 4.91 19 49 13 Toulfé 81.0 28.2 0.35 486 7.8 4.76 9 57 14 Mansila 166.0 58.3 0.35 436 14.4 5.75 23 58 12 Torodi 144.0 69.5 0.48 524 21.6 5.04 22 45 14 Park W 205.0 94.0 0.46 538 9.9 4.42 23 51 14 Mean 115.5 49.2 0.44 514 4.78 53 SD 42.0 47.7 0.22 72 1.02 10.1 FSITE 16.6 13.5 3.01 7.3 3.3 2.0 *** *** ** *** *** *** Agroforest Syst (2012) 85:455–463 Table 1 Nutrient content (Vitamin C, ash, sugar) and physical characteristics of fruits from Baobab in 11 populations in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger NB nutritional composition is expressed on a dry weight basis, DW dry weight, SD Standard Deviation, ND not determined, NS non-significant ** P \ 0.01; *** P \ 0.001 457 123 The data are arithmetic means. The F-value of site effect is based on the model including covariates. The coefficients of variance (CV %) express the relative standard error between trees in % of the mean value. Populations are sorted from west to east 458 Official Method 967.21, AOAC 2005). Ascorbic acid standard, sugar standards and analysis solutions were prepared daily. All solutions were filtered prior to use, and stored at 4°C when not in use. Seed samples were ground in a milling machine (Romer Analytical Sampling Mill, MO, USA) to pass through a 40 mesh screen. The proximate composition of seeds for the three populations in Burkina Faso was determined by AOAC methods (AOAC 2005). A factor of 6.25 was applied to convert nitrogen to crude protein. All chemical products were from Merck (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany), and all reagents and standards were the highest grade commercially available. Statistical analysis Samples were analysed for nutrients in triplicate, and single tree mean values were used in analysis. Results were expressed as population phenotypic mean and coefficient of variation (CV). Statistical analyses were performed using one-way analysis of variance and regression analyses. Spearman rank correlations between traits are presented based on tree means. Regression analysis was performed to estimate the population variation of the vitamin C content of the pulp as follows: Yjk ¼ l þ populationk þ Lk þ ejk where Yjk is the value of the trait in question (e.g. vitamin C) in tree j, l is the grand mean, populationk is the fixed effect of population number k, L are covariates for (longitude, latitude and precipitation) and ejk is the residual which is assumed to follow a normal distribution N(0, r2e ). The covariates are used to test the difference between populations excluding the influence of the covariates and testing the influence of covariates specifically. The data were tested for normality. The statistical software SAS was applied for the analysis (Version 6 Edition 1985, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). Results The trees included in the present study were all mature trees with an average height of 15.7 m. As seen from Table 1, all fruits and pulp parameters except fruit shape (fruit width/fruit length) showed 123 Agroforest Syst (2012) 85:455–463 significant variation between populations. The fruits size parameters varied highly. The smallest fruit weight (130 g) was found at Samé in the West of Mali and the largest fruit weight (496 g) was found in Park W in Niger where the fruit weight was approximately four times larger than at Samé. The variation in fruit weight within populations varied from 25 to 45%. Fruits from southern latitudes tended to be larger than fruits from the northern latitudes, however there were exceptions (e.g. Koumadiobo with a relatively low average fruit size = 250 g). The ratio between fruit width and fruit length, which determine the fruit shape, varied from 0.39 to 0.53 amongst populations, but the differences were not statistically significant. The individual variation between trees was much larger and ranged from 0.20 to 0.80 (data not shown). There was a significant variation between populations for sugar (P \ 0.001), vitamin C (P = 0.006) and fruit component weights (fruit, pulp, seed) (P \ 0.001). The pulp weight/seed weight ratio varied from 0.35 to 0.48 amongst populations and the differences were statistically significant (P \ 0.01). The variation of the pulp weight/seed weight ratio at the individual tree level was much higher going from 0.16 to 0.70 and was not correlated to fruit weight (data not shown). The average of sugar content varied from 425 (Nabougou) to 610 g kg-1 (Samé). The coefficient of variation (CV) varied between 6.7 and 21.6% for the populations showing a moderate to large variation between trees within populations. The vitamin C content varied from 3.97 (Zambougou) to 5.75 g kg-1 (Mansila). The CV within populations varied from 18 to 26%, except for the Toulfé site which had a particularly low variation (9%) and showed a vitamin C content (4.76 g kg-1) slightly lower than the average of all sites (4.78 g kg-1). The ash content for pulp varied from 45 to 58 g kg-1. The variation within populations varied typically from 8 to 21%, except the Komodiguili provenance which reached 38%. As seen from Table 2, there was a significant correlation between sugar content and longitude (P \ 0.01), and between sugar content and latitude. The positive correlation between vitamin C content and latitude indicates that vitamin C content increased towards the north, and the weak negative correlation between vitamin C and longitude indicates that vitamin Agroforest Syst (2012) 85:455–463 459 Table 2 Spearman-rank correlations based on mean tree values of vitamin C, sugar, fruit weight, latitude (positive direction north to south), longitude (positive direction east to west) and precipitation Sugar Vitamin C Fruit weight Precipitation 0.029NS -0.143* -0.032NS Vitamin C NS -0.004 Fruit weight Longitude Latitude 0.257** 0.22** -0.296*** -0.151** 0.224** 0.005NS -0.242*** -0.293*** 0.358*** -0.755*** Precipitation Longitude 0.364** NS non-significant * P \ 0.05; ** P \ 0.01; *** P \ 0.001 C content was slightly higher in the eastern part of the sample region. A strong relationship between average precipitation and vitamin C content was observed (Fig. 1). Since precipitation, latitude and longitude are confounded, it cannot be precisely estimated how much each factor contributes. Sugar content and vitamin C content are not correlated with each other; this lack of correlation was observed both at the population (data not shown) and individual tree levels (Table 2) indicating that both populations and single trees with independent various combinations of the two traits exist. As seen from Table 3, the linear relationships were very strong for fruit size related traits (fruit weight, pulp weight and seed weight). Fruit weight had a stronger correlation with fruit width than with fruit length. There was a significant correlation between pulp weight and seed weight (P \ 0.001). The Baobab trees of Burkina Faso and Mali were divided in five different morphotypes according to bark colour: dark grey, grey, light grey, reddish and reddish grey. There were no significant correlations between the bark colour, tree size and the content of vitamin C, sugar or dry matter (data not shown). The pulp samples were divided in white and cream coloured pulp samples, but there were no significant correlations between the two pulp colour types and vitamin C, sugar and fruit size parameters (data not shown). As seen from Table 4, the contents of moisture, ash, lipid, protein and carbohydrates in the seeds from Burkina Faso ranged between 50.1 and 55.7, 44 and 49, 143 and 150, 156 and 159 and 641 and 652 g kg-1 respectively. The results indicated low to moderate differences in chemical compositions of seeds within populations. Differences amongst populations were even smaller, but still significant for humidity, ash and lipid content. Differences in content of protein and carbohydrates were not significant. Discussion The aim of the present study was to investigate the regional variation in Baobab fruits characteristics as an indicator for selection of superior trees. In the present study the samples were collected in different populations representing various climatic conditions. Biochemical properties Fig. 1 Linear relation between annual precipitation at Baobab (Adansonia digitata) sites and vitamin C content The results showed that the variation amongst and within populations in biochemical fruit properties is generally moderate to high. Similar variation was reported in previous studies on Vitellaria paradoxa (Maranz et al. 2004). The variation is probably a combination of genetic and environmental effects as reported by Nour et al. (1980) and Zheng et al. (2009a, b). Indeed, the composition of fruits can be 123 460 Agroforest Syst (2012) 85:455–463 Table 3 Spearman-rank correlations based on tree values for fruit dimension and weight characters, latitude, longitude and precipitation Fruit weight Fruit width Fruit length Pulp weight Seed weight Longitude Latitude 0.837*** 0.578*** 0.858*** 0.921*** -0.242** -0.293*** 0.005NS 0.238** 0.729*** 0.846*** -0.326*** Fruit width Fruit length 0.542*** Pulp weight Precipitation -0.326*** 0.037NS 0.480*** NS -0.101 -0.197** 0.019NS 0.817*** -0.210** -0.277** -0.127NS -0.244** -0.295*** Seed weight Longitude 0.236** Latitude 0.023NS 0.359 *** -0.755*** NS non-significant ** P \ 0.01; *** P \ 0.001 Table 4 Proximate composition of Adansonia digitata seeds from three different populations Moisture (g kg-1) Std. Ash (g kg-1) Std. Lipid (g kg-1) Std. Protein (g kg-1) Std. Carbohydrates (g kg-1) Std 26.5 Mansila 50.7 3.9 48.9 0.9 150.2 26 159.3 6.7 641.6 Nankoun 50.1 3.5 48.7 2.8 143 9.2 155.7 16.1 652.4 19.5 Toulfé 55.7 3.8 43.7 3.5 148 12.2 158.4 12.2 650.0 15.1 Average 52.1*** 47.1*** 148* 157.8NS 648NS Std 3.1 2.9 3.6 1.9 5.7 Results are expressed on a dry weight basis Std Standard deviation, NS non-significant * P \ 0.05; *** P \ 0.001 influenced significantly by the environment such as soil type, fertilizer, water or sunlight intensity as reviewed by Chadare et al. (2009). Previously, several studies have reported varying levels of Baobab fruit pulp vitamin C content with mean values between 3.37 (Nigeria), 3.0 (Sudan), 1.50–5.0 (Senegal), 2.80 (Mali) and 0.74–1.63 g kg-1 (South Africa) (Nour et al. 1980; Becker 1983; Ighodalo et al. 1991; Arnold et al. 1995; Sidibe et al. 1996; Manfredini et al. 2002; Diop et al. 2005; Wilkinson 2006). In the present study the average level was 4.78 with values ranging from 3.97 to 5.75 g kg-1. There was more variation within populations than amongst populations. Tree-to-tree variability in the vitamin C contents of the fruit pulp, also ranging from 1.50 to 5.0 g kg-1 was reported by Scheuring et al. (1999). The highest levels of vitamin C were found in the two populations with lowest precipitation (450 mm year) of Mansila (5.75 g kg-1) and Komodiguili (5.54 g kg-1). The site Koumadioba with highest precipitation had a low vitamin C content of 123 4.16 g kg-1. The total sugar contents reported in the present study ranged from 425 to 610 g kg-1. Previous studies on Baobab reported sugar content values ranging from 466 to 877 g kg-1 for samples from Tanzania and South Africa respectively (Wehmeyer 1966; Murray et al. 2001). Studies on other species revealed moderate to high heritability for vitamin C and sugar content; for instance high vitamin C heritability have been shown in Kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa) and Capsium anuum (Cheng et al. 2004; Gelata and Labuschagne 2006); in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) high sugar content heritability under various environments has also been demonstrated (Ober et al. 2004). In the present study it was not possible to estimate the genetic heritability because our data are based on phenotypes. However the observed large phenotypic variation within populations is a prerequisite for selection of superior individuals. The proximate composition of Baobab seeds recorded in the present study was found to be similar to previously reported studies. The moisture values Agroforest Syst (2012) 85:455–463 found here (average 52.1 ± 3.1 g kg-1) are lower than those generally found in samples from Nigeria 61–82 g kg-1 (Proll et al. 1998; Lockett et al. 2000). The protein content (158 g kg-1) ranged between previously reported values of 144 to 367 g kg-1 (Arnold et al. 1995; Proll et al. 1998; Osman 2004). The crude lipid content (148 g kg-1) was higher than the 90 g kg-1 found in an earlier study in Burkina Faso (Glew et al. 1997) but lower than the 333 g kg-1 found in Zambia (Arnold et al. 1995). The content of the total carbohydrates found (648 g kg-1) is higher than the highest value (568 g kg-1) found in Nigeria (Proll et al. 1998) and much higher than the lowest value of 52 g kg-1 reported by Arnold et al. (1995). The differences in the chemical content can be attributed to soil (habitat), climatic variations, genetic factors, maturity and the storage conditions of the samples as reported elsewhere (Chadare et al. 2009; Diop et al. 2005; Osman 2004). Relation between fruit properties and other factors A close relation between fruit quality and environmental conditions including postharvest treatment can be expected for several types of fruit, e.g. on Mango fruit (Léchaudel and Joas 2007). In this study, the vitamin C content in the pulp was correlated with precipitation and latitude of the origin. The latitude and precipitation are related to each other, but the precipitation isohyet line has a descending slope in the direction south east from Mali to eastern Niger. Precipitation and latitude are highly confounded, but precipitation has the highest correlation with vit C content. Vitamin C content was highest at the dry sites, as shown by the correlations in Table 2. Geographical variation in vitamin C and sugar content were found in currant Ribes sp. from Finland, where the contents were also related to relative humidity and latitude (Zheng et al. 2009a). Furthermore, Zheng et al. (2009b) found a similar relation between environmental moisture and sugar/ vitamin C content for Black Currant (Ribes nigrum L.) juice from Finland. Moderate water stress improves fruit quality in terms of higher soluble solids and earlier sucrose accumulation in kiwifruit (Miller et al. 1998). Indeed fruit size can be affected by environmental conditions. Non-published data showed larger fruits of Ziziphus mauritiana in the 461 Dogon region (precipitation 300–400 mm) compared to the south of Mali (1000–1200 mm) (Sanou H, unpublished). Investigating on apples Berg and Lötze (2006) showed that heavy fruit loads can negatively affect fruit size. In the present study, we report that the amount of pulp and seed are closely correlated to fruit size and the ratio between pulp and seed weight is not affected by fruit size. In order to maximise production of seed or pulp, it may thus be most efficient to choose trees with large total mass production of fruits. A survey of Assogbadjo et al. (2008) based on interviews with farmers in West Africa related sweetness to fruit shape, and capsule properties to taste. In the present study based on the data from Mali only we found no relation between capsule thickness/ fruit shape and sugar and vitamin C respectively (data not shown). Bark colour is often said by farmers to be related to fruit and leaf quality. However, our data showed no relation between vitamin C and bark colour confirming results reported by Sidibe et al. (1996). Domestication The perspectives of improvement by domestication of the Baobab species by selecting trees with good fruit characteristics appear good. The large variation between single trees is very promising for selection of good individuals. In any given site, it will be possible to identify good trees for further selection. This study has identified a number of good fruit trees with high values of both sugar and vitamin C which can be easily utilised by farmers. On the contrary, we have not identified extreme populations with regards to sugar and vitamin C. In Mali, a few selected trees have been grafted (work in progress), and grafting is a promising method to propagate valuable trees (Sidibe and Williams 2002). However, the gain in any breeding activity will depend on the heritability of the trait and the genotype by environment interaction. To study these factors it is necessary to test the selected clones under various climatic conditions as recommended previously by Haq et al. (2007). Domestication plans require clear objectives and priorities. This includes a definition of fruit idiotype and combination of traits and their prioritization. Other important traits may include total fruit production, year to year stability, acidity etc. Organoleptic 123 462 studies may be used to define the ratio between sugar and acidity. Agroforest Syst (2012) 85:455–463 CNRST Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso) and Abdou Rabiou (INRAN, Niamey, Niger) are acknowledged for their technical assistance and in helping collecting material. Further need of research Baobab fruit pulp possesses extremely valuable food properties and there is a large nutritional potential of sugar and vitamin C within its natural range. Based on the pulp vitamin C content and the seeds’ proximate composition, Baobab has a potential to improve nutrition for millions of people in West Africa (Nnam and Obiakor 2003; Sidibe et al. 1996). Utilisation of the edible leaves as vegetables and the seeds as thickening agent or to enhance the flavour of sauces is also important as reported elsewhere (NRC 2006, 2008; Parkouda et al. 2009). These are amongst the reasons why Baobab should still be planted, even beyond its current distribution. However, in order to properly manage Baobab fruit resources, basic knowledge about fruit pulp quality is still lacking: variability in nutrients between years, total fruit production etc. Fruit product (pulp, seeds) quality and safety could be affected by the postharvest processing and storage (Lee and Kader, 2000) indicating that it is necessary to study the effect of post-harvest processing on the fruit quality and safety in order to establish good manufacturer practices for producers. Baobab is a Pan-African species with large populations in Eastern and Southern Africa. The data of Wilkinson (2006) indicated a large regional variation in vitamin C. Preliminary studies have shown a remarkable variation in leaf morphology between West African and East African Baobab (Kambou and Jensen, unpublished data); this could explain why leaves are seldom utilised for food in East Africa (NRC 2006). Regional studies and further testing of Baobab leaves are required to produce an overall picture of the true potential of Baobab. In conclusion, the variation of vitamin C and sugar and the proximate composition of seeds within populations observed in the present study is a first indication that valuable gains could be made by selection of good varieties. Acknowledgments This work was supported by the Danida (Danish International Development Agency) funded project titled ‘‘Improving food potential in West African parkland trees’’. Michel Combari and Salia Diabate (DTA/IRSAT/ 123 References Afolabi OR, Popoola TOS (2005) The effects of baobab pulp powder on the micro flora involved in tempe fermentation. Eur Food Res Technol 220:187–190 Ambé GA (2001) Les fruits sauvages comestibles des savanes guinéennes de Côte d’Ivoire: état de la connaissance par une population locale, les Malinké. 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