Development in Analytical Chemistry Volume 1, 2014 www.seipub.org/dac
Potential Nutrient Composition of Acacia seyal Fruits as Fodder for Livestock in the Dry Lands in Sudan Mohammed S. A. Abdalla1, Izeldin A. Babiker2, Abubakr M. Idris*3, Kamal F. Elkalifa4 Organic Farming Project, German International Cooperation (GIZ), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
1
²Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zalingei, Zalingei, Sudan ³Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
4 *
abubakridris@hotmail.com
Received 5 May 2014; Accepted 30 July 2014; Published 15 December 2014 © 2014 Science and Engineering Publishing Company Abstract (Babiker and Mohamed 2003). To alleviate that problem and to bridge the seasonality of good quality Acacia seyal tree is one of the most potential fodder sources forage, browsing of shrubs and trees lends itself as a for livestock in Sudan. This research presents the first study feasible alternative, which has been for a long time in on the nutritional values of selected fruit (seeds and pods) of Acacia seyal at the lower basin of Atbara River, Northeastern livestock nutrition. Furthermore, in tropical and sub‐ Sudan. Chemical analysis of fruit samples was conducted to tropical zones, where the quantity and the quality of quantify essential major and minor constituents. It has been pastures are poor for long periods (Pragasan and found that Acacia seyal fruits are rich in crude protein with an Parthasarathy 2009; Salem et al. 2011), trees and shrubs average concentration of 31.05%; w/w. Also, satisfactory are the good alternative of livestock nutrition. levels of crude fibers (24.34%; w/w), fats (5.13%; w/w) and starch (9.76%; w/w) were recorded. Moreover, the levels of essential minerals satisfy the minimum nutritional requirements in terms of Ca (1.10 %; w/w), Mg (0.35%; w/w), P (1.50%; w/w), Cu (6.85 mg/kg) and Fe (85 mg/kg). However, poor contents of P (0.29%; w/w) and Na (259 mg/kg) were recorded. Notably, all contents which are presented are determined in dry matter. Keywords Acacia Seyal; Fodder Analysis; Nutritional Values
Introduction Fodder for livestock in Sudan, as in developing countries, suffers from protein deficiency, which is attributed to the lack of forage (Azim et al. 2011). Furthermore, in the arid and semiarid zones, crude protein content in forage is poor, which is the major limiting factor for livestock’s production. This issue increases the cost of conventional protein supplements for livestock particularly for ruminants, which leads to the loss of weights and high mortality rates especially among the young and poorly fed pregnant females
In another context, trees and, to some extent, shrubs have deep‐root system. Accordingly, trees and shrubs could grow well in dry season. Another benefit of trees and shrubs is that it has satisfactory levels of crude protein and minerals, besides fibers, that offer good digestibility. Therefore, fodder trees and shrubs constitute a vital component in the productivity of livestock in the arid and semi‐arid zones, where about 52% of the cattle, 57% of the sheep, 65% of the goats and 100% of the camels in tropical Africa are found (Von Kaufmann 1986). Fodder trees and shrubs supply goats and camels with the bulk of their nutritive requirements and complement the diet of cattle and sheep with protein, vitamins and minerals, in which bush straw is deficient in dry seasons. Nutrition of game animals also greatly depends on trees and shrubs. Several species of Acacia seyal have been recognized by grazers because of their feeding value during the drought (Olivares‐Pérez et al. 2013). It has been reported that the pods and leaves of Acacia seyal are
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nutritious and palatable to livestock (Orwa et al. 2009). Historically, the generic name ‘Acacia’ comes from the Greek word ‘akis’, which means ‘point’ or ‘barb’. Acacia seyal belongs to the family of Fabaceae (Mimosoideae). It is a small to medium‐sized tree. It grows up to 17 m tall and 60 cm in diameter at breast height (FIG. 1). Acacia seyal is widespread in the semi‐arid zone of tropical Africa from Senegal eastwards to Somalia and the Red Sea and from the Nile valley south to Zambia (Ecocrop 2004; Fall et al. 2009). Acacia seyal is usually found near riverbeds at lowland sites and near waterholes or seasonally flooded black cotton soils. Large herbivores may play an important role in seeds dispersal (Razanamandranto et al. 2004).
the soil through symbiotic association with compatible rhizobia and mycorrhizal fungi (Dommergues 1995; Fall et al. 2009). In addition, Acaica seyal is used for gum production, which is commercially known gum Talha. It is also an important source of fuel‐wood and charcoal (Mohammed and Röhle 2011). Acacia species, in general, recorded such medicinal benefits as anti‐ diabetes (Bino Kingsley et al. 2013), antimicrobial (Pradeep et al. 2012), anti‐bacterial (Olajuyigbe et al. 2012), antimalarial (Okokon et al. 2010), and anti‐ inflammatory activities (Adedapo et al. 2008), besides gastrointestial and respiratory activities (Imran et al. 2011). Despite of all the aforementioned potentials of Acacia seyal, the nutritious chemical constituents of the tree have not been examined yet in Sudan. Accordingly, in the current work, the major nutritious organic and inorganic constituents in seeds and pods of Acacia seyal at the Lower Atbara River, eastern Sudan are examined. The study also presents an evaluation of the nutritive value of selected fruits (seed and pods) of Acacia seyal. Materials and Methods Sampling
FIG. 1 MORPHOLOGY OF ACACIA SEYAL TREE
In addition to its fodder’s nutritional values for the livestock, Acacia seyal has additional various benefits. Acacia seyal is essential for adding natural fertilizers to
Acacia seyal grown along the downstream of Atbara Riverbank, Sudan, as the most desirable sites by grazers, was examined. Eleven random seeds and pods were manually collected from Acacia seyal trees at different positions on the adopted sites (FIG. 2). The fruit was hand‐picked to eliminate damaged pieces.
FIG. 2 MAP SHOWING ATBARA RIVER, SUDAN, WHERE ACACIA SEYALIS GROWN (FROM HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/ATBARAH_RIVER )
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Sample Pretreatment After sample collection as were described in the previous section, samples were immediately weighed and stored in cloth bags till laboratory analysis. At laboratory, samples were sun‐dried for three days, carefully cleaned and ground to powder. Then, the moisture contents were determined. Notably, the guidelines recommended by the Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC (Association of Official Analytical Chemists) (1995) for sample treatment were applied. Sample Treatment for Elemental Analysis Appropriate aliquots of samples were ground and burned to ash. Thereafter, HCl and HNO3 in the ratio of 3:1 (v/v) were added in order to digest further residues of organic matter. Thereafter, the samples were filtered using Whatmann filter paper number 42 (Indrayan et al. 2005; Jimoh and Oladiji 2005; Glew et al. 2006). 2380 Perkin Elmer atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Massachusetts, US) was used for the determination of Mg, Ca, Cu and Fe. The Sherwood Model 410 Flame Photometer (Corning, Cambridge, UK) was used for the determination of Na and K. P was determined using UV‐VIS Spectrophotometer (UV‐1800; Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan). Major Nutritious Analysis Near‐Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) was exploited for proximate quantification of moisture, crude protein, crude fiber, ash, fat and starch (Hacisalihoglu et al. 2010). The NIRS region was covered with the wavelengths between 730 and 2500 nm. 1.0 g was exposed to an electro‐magnetic scan over a spectral wavelength range of 1100 to 2500 nm. In this range, energy was directed to the sample and the reflected energy was detected. The official NIRS methods were recommended by the Official and methods of Analysis of AOAC for the quantification of crude protein (989.03) and moisture (991.01) (Barton and Windham 1998). Starch and fat were also proximately quantified by NIRS as recommended by the Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC (Wrigley 1999).
Interestingly, Sudanese Acacia seyal which was recorded had rich content in protein (31.05%; w/w) and hence offers high nutritious value for livestock. As in TABLE 2, the Sudanese species had also higher content of crude protein than that reported in previous studies, which was in the range of 14.7‐20.9%; w/w for the same species (Feedipedia 2014). In general, browse plants are richer in protein than grass. It is noteworthy mentioned that protein content varies markedly in different analyzed parts, i.e. leaves, fruits, shrubs, etc. Therefore, the protein level provided by plant analysis is often a misleading indication of protein available to animals consuming plant. This clarifies why dwellers rely on fruits of some acacias named “Oleaf” or “Baram” for animal grazing. In another context, the protein content of above 7%; w/w in animal feeds increases the appetite, which explains the increased palatability of Acacia seyal fruits. On other hand, crude fiber recorded in the current study (24.34%; w/w) has found to be within the range (3.8‐20.2 %; w/w) of what has been previously reported (Feedipedia 2014). Notably, crude fiber is higher than that recorded in the fruit of Prosopischilensis which is another fodder for livestock in the dry lands in Sudan (Abdalla et al. 2014). For the starch content, pods and seeds in Acacia seyal recorded lower level (9.76%; w/w) compared with the pods of Prosopischilensis grown in the same study area that is 15.14% (Abdalla et al. 2014). Furthermore, an appropriate level of starch is recorded in the mixed fruits of Acacia seyal as presented in Table 1. On the other side, although it is free energy, soluble ash enhances digestibility. Ash content in Sudanese Acacia Seyal (11.6%; w/w) is higher than the maximum level that has been previously reported with the average of 9.3 %; w/w (Feedipedia 2014). This result reflects valuable mineral nutritious value. Unlike seeds and pods, the mineral contents in grass for grazing ruminants are not sufficient (Mtimuni 1982). However, as reported by Topps (1993), the common range of ash content in forages and feeds is 8‐10%; w/w. TABLE 1 THE AVERAGE CONTENT OF MAJOR NUTRIENTS IN NINE FRUIT SAMPLES (MIXED SEEDS AND PODS) PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF ACACIA SEYAL GROWN AT LOWER BASIN OF ATBARA RIVER, NORTHEASTERN SUDAN
Results and Discussion TABLE 1 shows the average of major nutritious in nine mixed samples of seeds and pods of Acacia seyal grown in the downstream of Atbara Riverbank, Sudan. For comparative study, the summary statistics of the same analytes retrieved from previous studies are compiled in TABLE 2 (Feedipedia 2014).
Nutrient Dry matter (dry matter)‐% as fed Crude protein Crude fiber Starch Fat Ash
Content (%; w/w, in dry matter) 93.70 31.05 24.34 9.76 5.13 11.62
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TABLE 2 SUMMARY STATISTICS OF MAJOR NUTRITIOUS CONTENTS IN DRY
TABLE 3 MINERAL COMPOSITION OF FRUITS OF GRAZED ACACIA SEYAL
PODS OF ACACIA SEYAL GROWN IN DIFFERENT AREAS IN THE WORLD
GROWN AT LOWER BASIN OF ATBARA RIVER, NORTHEASTERN SUDAN
Main analysis Dry matter (%; w/w, as fed) Crude protein (%; w/w) Crude fiber (%; w/w) Lignin (%; w/w) Ether extract (%; w/w) Ash (%; w/w)
Average 93.7 18.2 26.5 8.5 2.8 6.6
Standard deviation 1.4 2.3 3.8 1.3 0.7 1.4
Min Max 92.9 95.3 14.7 20.9 20.2 30.6 7.6 9.4 1.9 3.5 5.5 9.3
The mineral composition of plants varies according to many factors. Among those are the age of the plant, soil characteristics, plant species and varieties and climatic or seasonal conditions. In more detail, out of thirteen minerals, those are recognized as essential to animal body, seven of which are required in relatively large quantities and thus referred as macro‐minerals. The latters are Ca, P, K, Mg, Na, Fe and S (Mtimuni 1982). Table 3 shows the mineral composition of fruits of Acacia seyal in the study area. TABLE 4 shows the mineral composition of fruits of Acacia seyal grown in other areas in the world (Feedipedia 2014). It has been found that Ca content in the current study (11.0 g/kg) is within the global reported range (7.6‐13.6 g/kg). On the other hand, P content in the Sudanese species is almost typical of what has been reported by Feedipedia (2014). Furthermore, Ramirez‐Orduna et al. (2005) reported the range of 1.2‐2.9 g/kg for P content in other species used for browsing. However, the Ramirez‐Orduna’s (2005) research group reports that the low levels of the reported range of P content may not meet the daily goat requirements. Furthermore, K content in the Sudanese species records, to some extent, high contents than what has been reported by Feedipedia (2014). Notably, it has been reported that K content appeared to vary as a function of absolute age of leaf and environmental conditions (Grings et al. 1996; Ramirez‐Orduna et al. (2005). These studies also report that seasonal variation in K is possible. K absorption by the root links to soil moisture. On the other side, Babiker (2012) investigated different parts in nine plant species used for browsing in Sudan. For Fe content, a wide range (0.13‐304.92 mg/kg) had been reported in hat study. Sudanese Acacia seyal recorded comparable Fe content with some Sudanese browsing species (Babiker 2012). In contrast, poor Cu content (6.85mg/kg) in Sudanese Acacia seyal comparing with Nigerian velvet beans (mucuna spp) (11.90‐17.40 mg/kg) was recorded (Tuleun et al. 2008). However, the Feedipedia (2014) reported that comparable Cu content for Acacia seyal was grown in other areas in the world.
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Mineral Ca (g/kg) P (g/kg) K (g/kg) Mg (g/kg) Na (mg/kg) Fe (mg/kg) Cu (mg/kg)
Content (in dry matter) 11.0 2.9 15.0 3.5 259.0 85.0 6.9
TABLE 4 SUMMARY STATISTICS OF MINERAL CONTENTS IN DRY PODS ACACIA SEYAL GROWN IN DIFFERENT AREAS IN THE WORLD (ALL LEVELS ARE EXPRESSED IN DRY MATTER)
Mineral
Average
Ca (g/kg) P (g/kg) K (g/kg) Mg (g/kg) Mn (mg/kg) Zn (mg/kg) Cu (mg/kg)
11.1 2.8 12.5 2.6 20.0 23.0 8.0
Standard Minimum Maximum deviation 2.7 7.6 13.3 0.7 2.0 3.7 11.7 13.4 ‐ 2.6 2.6 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐
Conclusion The chemical compositions, including major and minor nutrients, were examined in the mixed fruits (pods and seeds) of Acacia seyal used for browsing at the lower basin of Atbara River, Northeastern Sudan for the first time. Based on the reported nutritional indices, it could be concluded that the fruits of Acacia seyal offer high nutritional values especially protein and minerals for livestock. Most nutritious constituents are within the range of levels reported in previous studies for the same species. Comparing with other species grown in different areas in the world and used for browsing, the fruits of Acacia seyal are a sufficient fodder for overstock. Since it is the first study, this manuscript presents a baseline data of Acacia seyal as indispensible source of fodder for livestock in Sudan. However, more investigations are recommended to be accomplished. A study on the effect of climate on the nutritional indices of the fruits of Acacia seyal is desirable. In addition, examining the digestion kinetics and metabolizable energy of the nutritional components, which effect on the production of meat and milk, of the fruits of Acacia seyal is required as well. REFERENCES
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