Abstract:
The sap of Caryota urens commonly referred to as Kithul palm is very rich in simple
sugars and therefore used to manufacture treacle and jaggery that are used as substitutes
for sugar and sweeteners (Thevendirarajah et al 1977). All these products have a very high
demand due to their natural origin, and as an almost organic food product. However, these
products are highly priced due to the scarcity in production and are of high demand due to
the uniqueness in taste and aroma, as well as due to traditional claims on health benefits.
It is traditionally considered that the products of C. urens have anti-diabetic, anti-ageing
and anti- rheumatic properties. Recent scientific investigation has shown that sap and
treacle of C. urens have -glucosidase inhibition activity and thus proves that traditional
claims on anti-diabetic properties are correct indeed (Ranasinghe et al 2010). However,
scientific validation of the folkloric claims or the identification of the chemical constituent
responsible for these properties has not been attempted so far. Some of the amino acids
from C. urens products may be the responsible chemical components for biological
activities as amino acids have a variety of roles in metabolism, as building blocks of
proteins, growth factors, metabolic regulators, secondary messengers and nutrients. Thus,
analysis of amino acids is essential for metabolic studies.
The main objective of this study was the determination and comparison of the free amino
acid profiles of C. urens sap, treacle and jaggery and to find out the relationship of amino
acid profiles and the traditional claims on health benefits of these products.
