Abstract

The analysis of the proximate composition of the leaves and various grades of resins obtained from Boswellia sacra was performed using standard methods of AOAC. The resins and leaves analyzed in this study were found to have the following ranges of the proximate composition: moisture (5.41 to 11.54%), dry matter (88.45 to 94.58%), alcohol soluble extractive (14.09 to 64.84%), ash (1.02 to 6.66%), crude fats (6.90 to 85.36%), nitrogen (0.04 to 0.18%), proteins (0.25 to 1.14%), carbohydrates (13.30 to 74.15%), and energy value (360.80 to 822.53 kcal/100 g). The leaves of B. sacra were found to have higher concentration of ash, fiber, and carbohydrates, but low in fats, energy value, and alcohol extractives as compared to the resins. Unlike leaves, all the resins were found to be excellent source of lipids and consequently higher in energy.

Key words: Frankincense, proximate analysis, Boswellia sacra, moisture analyzer, Kjeldahl.