Abstract
African yam bean (AYB) is an important but neglected and underutilized crop producing edible seeds and tubers. The poor awareness of the nutritional values of AYB constitutes one of the major problems limiting its utilization. This study was, therefore, carried out to determine the nutritional potentials of five accessions of African yam bean (TSs 125, TSs 116, TSs 86, TSs 69 and TSs 60) by analyzing their proximate composition and micronutrients (Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn) and Selenium (Se)). The experiment was laid out in completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. The results obtained showed significant (p < 0.05) variations in the proximate composition of the AYB accession. The crude protein was in the range of 21.84-23.41 %, crude fat 3.40-3.86 %, fibre 6.17- 6.76 %, carbohydrate 52.8-54.48 %, dry matter 90.42 - 90.6 %, ash 4.22 - 4.35 %, and moisture 9.4 - 9.58 %.The Se concentration varied from 312 mg/100 g in TSs 116 to 58 mg/100 g in TSs 60 while Fe ranged between 10.40 mg/100g in TSs 60 and 6.07mg/100gin TSs 86. Zinc varied between 8.83 mg/100g in TSs116 and 6.37 mg/100 g in TSs 69.TSs 116 was best accession in terms of crude protein, dry matter, ash, selenium and zinc, while TSs 60 was best in terms of iron. The study revealed AYB seeds as a food crop rich in protein, carbohydrate, fibre, selenium, iron and zinc. The genotypic variability can be exploited in developing African yam bean varieties with better qualities in terms of nutrient density. Keywords: Neglected, underutilized, nutrient-dense, micronutrient and protein
Highlights
Protein - energy malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies (“hidden hunger”) are serious health issues globally, especially in the developing countries, including Nigeria
The fibre content of the African yam bean (AYB) accessions ranged from 6.17 % to 6.76 %
African yam bean The protein content of the samples of the African yam bean accessions in this study was higher than the 10.6 -11.7 % reported by Nyananyo and Nyingifa (2011) for African yam bean and agreed with the findings of Eromosele et al (2008) who reported values of 21-29 %for the protein content of AYB and within the range of 9.9-23.7% of protein values reported for AYB by Ameh (2007)
Summary
Protein - energy malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies (“hidden hunger”) are serious health issues globally, especially in the developing countries, including Nigeria. In Nigeria, in addition to lack of protein and energy, a major cause of undernutrition is inadequatemicronutrients such as vitamin A, iodine, iron, and zinc. Almost 63% of the Nigerian women are anaemic and 31% are iodine deficient, while close to 30% of under-fives are vitamin A deficient and 20% are zinc deficient (Micronutrient Initiative, 2013; FMH, 2014). High under-five mortality rate; 158 per 1,000 live births has been recorded for Nigeria, with malnutrition accounting for 53% of these deaths (UNICEF, 2011). These nutritionally-related problems are more prevalent among the resource-poor living in the rural areas and poor city dwellers, because they cannot afford balanced diets. Lower plasma selenium concentration was reported in diabetic patients, women
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