Agro-morphological and quality attributes of Moroccan carob

In Morocco, the carob tree is currently enjoying renewed interest with the introduction of a local development strategy based on the development of this resource. Sixty accessions of carob fruits from four regions in northern and southern Morocco are studied for phenotypic and physico-chemical criteria of pods. The phenotypic characterization of the fruits showed that the Chaouen region (north) is characterized by long (13.3 cm), wide (2.02 cm), thick (0.72 cm) and heavy (13.0 g) pods, a high pulp weight (10.8 g) and the lowest seed yield. The southern regions (Beni Mellal and Tafraout) are characterized by relatively short pods with high seed yield. The physico-chemical analysis of the pulp showed a significant variation between the studied regions, ranging from 35.3 to 51.5 % for total sugars, 5.3 to 11.3 % for polyphenols and 11.1 to 14.2 % for total fibers. The three minerals investigated (Fe, Ca, Mg) were detected in all carob samples, mainly in Tafraout, and their contents vary from one region to another.  Keywords: Morocco, Ceratonia siliqua L, pod, morphological characterization, chemical features, pulp