Biological Assessment of Ready-To-Eat Flaked Breakfast Cereal Produced From Malted Quality Protein Maize (Zea Mays), Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata L. Walp) and Garden Egg (Solanum Melongena)

Abstract

Ready-to-eat breakfast cereal was produced from blends of malted quality protein maize, cowpea and garden egg with a view to assessing the nutritional quality using the animal feeding trials. The biomaterials were processed separately to flour and blended at varying ratios, the blends were processed to flaked breakfast cereal using standard procedure. The ready to eat meal was subjected to feeding trial using wistar rats weighing between 60 and 85 g. During the 28 day feeding trial, weight changes, growth rate, protein and feed efficiency ratios, mortality rate, nitrogen retained, biological value, true digestibility and net protein utilization were monitored. The results obtained were feed intake (126.99-164.39 g), the protein efficiency ratio (-4.40 and 2.50), mean weight gain/loss (-14.6 g and 8.15g). The weight of animal fed with meal containing garden egg reduced marginally over the period. The biological value (63.13-88.2%), true digestibility (39.29-58.80%) and net protein utilisation (24.79–49.43%) reduced as the garden egg increased. There was no mortality in the groups fed with garden egg containing meal. The study concluded that addition of garden egg helped in weight management of the animals and compared favourably with commercial meal in terms of parameters determined.