Abstract Kenari (Canarium indicum L) belongs to Burseraceae family and grows abundantly in Indonesia especially in Eastern Indonesia. The kernel is often called kenari nut. The nut contains high amount of lipid and various chemical substances, such as protein, phenolic compound, and tocopherol. The chemical composition is affected by some factors, especially area of origin. The objective of this study was to determine chemical composition and antioxidant properties of kenari nut grown in Sangihe, Minahasa, and Maluku. The results showed that the highest component of kenari nut is lipids, which account for 66.27 %, 65.93%, and 66,59 % of the nut from Sangihe, Minahasa, and Maluku respectively. The dominant fatty acid were oleic, palmitic, stearic, and linoleic. The second compound of kenari nut is protein which accounted for 14.20 %, 13.49%, and 13.38 % of nut from Sangihe, Minahasa, and Maluku respectively. The dominant amino acids were glutamate, leucine, arginine, and aspartate. Glutamate content of nut from Sangihe, Minahasa, and Maluku were 30.11%, 25.30 %, and 25.43%, respectively. In addition to those major compounds, the nut also contained of antioxidant substances, i.e. phenolic compound and tocopherol. Antioxidative activities based on the DPPH values, were 61.3%, 60.2%, and 53.2 % for nut from Sangihe, Minahasa, and Maluku, respectively. Therefore, kenari nut may be used as functional food.
Keywords kenari nut, fatty acids, amino acid, antioxidant.