Abstract:
Papalanto, Ogun State is one of the locations where
sugar cane (Saccharium offinarium) is grown and largely
cultivated in Nigeria. Mineral compositions of the sugarcane
juice in this area is not yet reported. Therefore, this study was
carried out to determine the mineral content of the sugarcane
cultivars in Papalanto, Ogun state, Nigeria. The result of the
study shows that calcium is present in both the NPK-treated
sugarcane (that is, fertilizers was used for this cultivar) and the
untreated sugarcane (no fertilizers added) samples at about the
same level. Concentrations of zinc and potassium were found to
be significantly higher in the NPK- treated sugarcane samples
than the untreated samples. The findings of this research work
suggest that the mineral contents of the NPK-treated sugar cane
are higher than their untreated counterpart. Consumption of the
NPK-treated sugarcane by the people of the area and beyond
should therefore be encouraged. Further work is required to
detect and explain the biochemical basis for the high mineral
contents of the NPK-treated sugar cane.
