Evaluation of Nutritive Value and Some Functional Properties of Kerstings Groundnut Seeds for Optimum Utilisation as a Food and Feed Resource

Nigeria, like most African countries, faces a serious food crisis, manifest in the inadequate protein intake of its people (Ogundipe and Weingartner, 1992). The staple food in Niger is largely derived from starchy tubers, roots and their products which . are usually deficient in protein. Adequate quantities of protein from animal sources and from legumes such as cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp), soya bean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) and pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Mill sp.) are not usually included in the diet because of their prohibitive cost (Singh et al., 1987, Ogundipe and Osho, 1990). Protein sources are in high demand by the poultry, swine and ruminant feed industry in Nigeria due to a significant decline in the production of cotton and the harsh economic situation which restricts the purchase of soya bean meal. It is therefore necessary to search for additional high-quality and cheaper sources of legume protein to provide adequate food and nutrition in Nigeria and in most developing countries. Alternatives to these situations are not easily found, but a possibility is provided by utilisation of the lesser-known, under-exploited grain legumes which have not been used to an important extent because their nutritive importance has not been fully determined. Among these, kerstings groundnut (Kerstingiella geocarpa Harms) offers good possibilities. Its yield ranges from 350 to 650 kg seed/ha in farmers field, although yields up to 1500 kg seed/ha have been reported in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) (Joan, 1976). These yields compare well with yields of pigeon pea of 500 to 1600 kg seed/ha. Kerstings groundnut seeds contain polyphenols, the usual anti-nutrient substances of food grain legumes. To be used as food or feed, the seeds would have to be thermally processed to reduce anti-nutritional substances in the seed (Singh, 1984; Bressani and Elias, 1980; Obasi, 1996). Studies on Kerstings groundnut show that it is a promising legume for the tropics (Hepper, 1963; Duke et al., 1977; Ikeorgu, 1988; Obasi and Ezedima, 1991, 1994; Obasi, 1989). This crop is cultivated in tropical Africa, particularly in Nigeria, Mali, Burkina-Faso, Niger, Benin and Togo and is boiled or ground into a paste for making moi-moi (steamed paste food) or alcara (fried paste food) in a manner similar to the consumption of cowpea.