Investigation of tylosema fassoglense seed as an alternative source of protein in animal feed

Abstract

Formulation of animal feeds entails use of various raw materials in order to come up with a final product capable of meeting dietary needs of the animal under consideration. To achieve this goal, animal and plant based raw materials are investigated for various nutritional components such as amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, fibre and minerals present in order to facilitate formulation of the optimal nutritional feed. Plants of the leguminosae family are known to be rich in the essential nutrients and are therefore used extensively in the animal feed industry. Tylosema fassoglense is a member of the leguminosae family growing wildly in Western, Rift valley and sections of North Eastern parts of Kenya. Various parts of the plant have several uses among different communities; the plant seed is consumed, tuber used as medicine by some communities in Western Kenya, while the leaves are used as pasture for livestock by some other communities in Rift Valley and North Eastern parts of Kenya. Local regulations specify recommended levels of the feed components for crude protein, crude fat,total ash and mineral contents for dairy meal, pig feeds, poultry feeds and also raw materials such as maize bran, cotton seedcake, sunflower seedcake and wheat bran. Ban on animal based protein sources in ruminant feed by the European Union following the outbreak of mad cow disease has pushed the local industry towards looking for additional plant based protein sources for use in the feed formulation process. In the feed industry, crude protein sources are still classified as the most expensive feed formulation component and therefore identification of additional sources may lead to reduction in costs. Protein malnutrition is still a problem to poor households in the developing world hence need to identify additional sources of protein.