Comparison of chemical components of healthy and spoiled areca nut

The degree of spoilage of dehusked areca nut imported from Burma during 1987–8 was assessed at Imphal, India. Fungi isolated from the spoiled nuts were Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus sp., Cladosporium herbarum, Paecilomyces sp., Papularia sp., Trichoderma spp., Mucor spp. and other unidentified fungi. Changes in the physical and chemical components of the nuts caused by fungal colonization were determined. The polyphenols present in both the healthy and spoiled areca nuts were extracted, separated, tentatively identified and the proportion of different types of flavones present in the extracts were also quantified.