Three different flours were produced from unripe Plantain fruit, Okara (residue from soy milk production) and Detarium microcarpum and analysed for dietary fibre. The flours were incorporated in a standard diet which was fed albino rat for bioassay study. The flours were found to be very rich in dietary fibre with Detarium microcarpum showing the highest (P < 0.05) level of dietary fibre (78.6%) followed by Okara (24.4%) and then Plantain (6.6%). Diet formulated with Plantain flour supplemented with 5% Detarium microcarpum flour reduced blood glucose level from 356mg/dl to 113mg/dl while diet formulated with Plantain flour supplemented with 5% Okara flour reduced blood glucose level from 539mg/dl to 116mg/dl. The total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol of the rats fed diet supplemented with 5% Detarium microcarpum flour and 5% Okara flour were lower than those of the normal control.
Keywords: Blood glucose, Detarium microcarpum, Dietary fibre, Okara flour, Plantain flour, Serum Cholesterol
