Effects of anti-nutritional factors on the nutritional potential of three varieties of lablab bean (Lablab purpureus ) in rats

Abstract

Twenty five Wistar strain rats weighing between 68 to 80g were allotted to five dietary groups. Group I received standard protein diet which served as control, group II received a protein-free diet, which served as a negative control, while rats on III, IV and V were given rawRongai Brown (RB), rawRongaiWhite (RW) and rawHighworthBlack (HB) based diets as the main sources of protein, respectively. The rats were fed 10g experimental diets per day for seven days. a 3-day adaptation period, faecal samples were collected quantitatively for four days, bulked for each rat, weighed, oven-dried at 105 C for 24 hr, milled and stored for analyses. All the rats fed the three varieties of raw lablab beans had significant decrease (p<0.05) in feed intake and final bodyweights as compared to the control. Rats fed onRB had the least feed intake of 19.1g/wk while rats on RW gave the highest body weight decrease of 29.0g. The feed conversion efficiency, net protein ratio and protein efficiency ratio for all groups decreased (p ˂ 0.05) significantly as compared to rats fed standard diet. The rats fed the Highworth Black gave the least value of 0.08%. Feeding raw lablab beans to rats produced significant reductions in protein intake. The significant reduction in the various parameters used for the nutritional evaluation of these three varieties of lablab beans could be attributed to the presence of the anti-nutritional factors inherent in them which reduced the nutrient intake and utilization by the rats. Interventions of processes that reduce the antinutritional factors are therefore necessary for efficient use of lablab beans in human foods and animal feeds.