Research article · 2021 · Full text
International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social DevelopmentProcessing and valorisation of Mucuna seeds in poultry feed
Volume 4(2) · Pages 90–97 · DOI: 10.33545/26180723.2021.v4.i2b.106 ↗
Research areasAnimal Nutrition and PhysiologyLivestock and Poultry ManagementFood and Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
Author-writtenMucuna seeds have been undertaken in the supplementation of Gallus feed. Locally available, rich in protein, they do not compete with human food. However, they have a high level of L-dopa, which disturbs digestion, thus requiring prior treatment before consumption. Seven different treatments are tried: untreated; soaking in water; boiling; soaking followed by boiling; depelleted; added with sodium bicarbonate and roasted. They are analyzed by NIRS and bromatological analysis, their L-dopa content is determined. Two feed types are considered: incorporation of depelleted and bicarbonated seeds at different feeding rates. Feeding is carried out to different categories of Gallus. The weight evolution is monitored. Laying rate is considered for layers. The nitrogenous content is particularly high and that in mineral elements and fat are not negligible. The antinutritional factors are very reduced in the depelleted seeds (0,79%) and decrease by half for the bicarbonated seeds (6,61 to 2,96%) by affecting little the nutritional value. Chickens fed with Mucuna seeds show weight growth even for local breed chickens. A 20% incorporation rate of depelleted seeds is effective for local chicks and 10% for broilers and layers. The entry in laying is favoured whether these rates are 10% or 20%.
Summary
Source-checkedPlain-language reading of the full paper, prepared with AI and checked against the text. Each point links to the authors' own words.
Why it matters
- The seeds contain L-dopa, an anti-nutritional factor that disrupts digestion and can slow growth and reduce food consumption in birds. View evidence ↗
- Using these seeds in poultry feed could lower investment costs for intensive breeding and improve the growth of local 'Akoho Gasy' chickens. View evidence ↗
The question
- The study aimed to identify the processing treatment that most effectively reduces L-dopa content without compromising the seeds' nutritional value. View evidence ↗
What they did
- The researchers tested seven treatments: untreated (control), soaking, boiling, soaking followed by boiling, depelleting, sodium bicarbonate treatment, and roasting. View evidence ↗
- Two specific processed feed types, bicarbonated (0.2% sodium bicarbonate) and depelleted (soaked, dehulled, and boiled), were incorporated into the diets at various rates. View evidence ↗
What they found
- In broilers, increasing the rate of bicarbonated Mucuna seeds decreased average weight production from 631.6g (0%) to 526.4g (10%) and 408.8g (20%). View evidence ↗
- In local breed chickens fed bicarbonated seeds, the highest average weight was found in the control group (820g), followed by the 30% incorporation group (806g). View evidence ↗
- Laying hens showed the highest weight gain when fed a diet with 10% bicarbonated Mucuna seeds. View evidence ↗
- The egg laying rate in hens decreased as the incorporation rate of bicarbonated Mucuna seeds increased. View evidence ↗
What it means
- The authors conclude that depelleted Mucuna seeds are most effective at incorporation rates of 15% for local chicks, 10% for broilers, and 20% for layers. View evidence ↗
- Because depelleted seeds had the lowest L-dopa levels, the authors conclude that L-dopa is primarily located in the seed skins. View evidence ↗
Visual summary
3 visualsIllustrations explain the paper; charts are replotted from the paper's own table values.
L-dopa Reduction by Treatment
AI-generated conceptual illustration (Mucuna seeds). It explains the idea and does not show study data.
View source evidence ↗
L-dopa: T0 vs T1 vs T2 vs T3
Replotted from Table 2 (page 2) of the original paper. Every bar is the paper's own table value.
View source evidence ↗
0: Weight in g / T0=0%... vs T1= 10% Mucuna vs T2= 20% Mucuna
Replotted from Table 3 (page 4) of the original paper. Every bar is the paper's own table value.
View source evidence ↗Figures & tables
From the original paper
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Table 2
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Table 3
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Table 5
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Table 7
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Figure 5
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Figure 6Introduction
In the world of livestock farming, poultry farming has occupied an important place for decades. It presents two types of breeding: on the one hand, the intensive breeding calling upon elaborate techniques and requiring important investments and on the other hand, the traditional extensive breeding of chicken of local race called "Akoho Gasy" which remains the most practised in the country. Akoho Gasy live and breed almost in the wild, looking for their meagre food around the huts and surrounding fields. Their growth rate is slow, so their expected market weight of 900g to 1 kg is only reached after five months of rearing or more. The hen lays late (Raoeliarisoa, 2004). The supplementation of Gallus feed with Mucuna seeds was undertaken to improve the performance of this farm (Del Carmen and et al. 1999) [4] . Mucuna pruriens is a leguminous plant belonging to the Fabaceae family, subfamily Faboidae. It is one of the plants used in direct seeding under plant cover (DSC) within the framework of the GSDM Support Project for the Dissemination of Agroecological Techniques in Madagascar. It is a natural raw material, available locally (Dahouda and al, 2009) [2] , not yet used in Madagascar, yet rich in proteins and not in competition with human food (Farougou et al. 2006) [6] . It is a thermophilic, creeping and fast growing plant. Mucuna pruriens seeds have a high protein content and a relatively high proportion of amino acid (Josephine and Janardhanan, 1992; Ravindran V and Ravindran G, 1988) [11,13] . Thus, the use of these seeds in animal feed will certainly alleviate the investment cost of feeding animals in intensive breeding and accelerate the growth of Akoho gasy. Despite its richness in amino acid and protein, Mucuna pruriens seeds are known to contain high levels of L-dopa (3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine is a non-protein amino acid) (Siddhuraju, Becker and Makkar, 2000) [15] and other antinutritional factors that affect the animal by disrupting nutrient digestion and metabolism (Bell and Janzen, 1971; Daxenbichler et al. 1971) [1] . Therefore, the use of these seeds in animal feed requires precautions beforehand by the application of treatments likely to reduce these antinutritional factors. Studies on the nutritional value of seeds and their use as a supplement in chick feed have been conducted as a substitute for certain expensive raw materials.
Materials and methods
Materials and methods
Raw and processed
Raw and processed
Results and discussion
The averages of the chemical composition in nutrients of the studied seeds are represented in table 2. From a statistical treatment T test, at each nutrient, significant differences (p<0.001) are presented between each type of treatment. The protein content is high and varies from 21,4 to 26,3 % DM (dry matter). For fat, the contents are between 4.2 and 5.2% of DM. The mineral contents are between 2.7 and 4.2% of DM, with Calcium contents of 0.20 to 0.50 % of DM and Phosphorus contents of 0.70 to 0.80 % of DM. L-Dopa levels are highly significant between the different treatments and vary from 0.79 to 6.6%. As high L-Dopa content disrupts digestion, the Mucuna TET ("depelleted" Mucuna) seeds with the lowest L-Dopa content were tested for their effect on the weight development of the Gallus. As TBic (Mucuna "bicarbonated") is an additive treatment, this modality was considered and tested during the feeding of the different categories of Gallus. Of all the treatments, the Gross Protein content (figure 1) is particularly high while the mineral (figure 2) and fat (figure 1) content is not negligible. The antinutritional factors (figure 3) are very reduced in the depelleted Mucuna seeds. But on those treated with sodium bicarbonate 0.2%, they are higher than those treated by "boiling for 60 min" and "soaking-boiling".
| — | T0 | T1 | T2 | T3 | E1 | E2 | TE | TET | TBic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry matter | 93,8 | 94,9 | 95,2 | 95,9 | 94,5 | 94,4 | 98,4 | 99,5 | 93,9 |
| Fats | 4,2 | 4,4 | 4,2 | 4,5 | 5,0 | 4,2 | 4,8 | 5,0 | 5,2 |
| Crude Protein | 26,3 | 24,2 | 23,5 | 22,6 | 25,7 | 23,8 | 21,4 | 21,7 | 24,2 |
| Mineral materials | 3,5 | 4,2 | 3,8 | 4,0 | 4,2 | 3,9 | 4,1 | 2,7 | 4,1 |
| Calcium | 0,40 | 0,50 | 0,50 | 0,40 | 0,20 | 0,30 | 0,20 | 0,20 | 0,30 |
| Phosphorus | 0,70 | 0,80 | 0,70 | 0,70 | 0,80 | 0,70 | 0,80 | 0,70 | 0,70 |
| Insoluble Ash | 0,1 | 0,1 | 0,1 | 0 | 0,1 | 0,1 | 0,1 | 0,1 | 0,1 |
| L-dopa | 6,6 | 5,95 | 5,23 | 2,91 | 3,15 | 2,02 | 2,2 | 0,79 | 3,0 |
Table text extracted from the original PDF; superscript letters are shown inline. The original table image is below.
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The initial L-Dopa content of bicarbonated Mucuna seeds decreases by half, from 6.61 to 2.96%, with little effect on nutritional value. L-dopa, or 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, a non-protein amino acid, intermediate in the synthesis of catecholamines, has two optical isomers, L-dopa and D-dopa. Only the levoisomeric form is metabolizable by the body. L-dopa is either synthesized in the body (endogenous), or can be of exogenous origin, as in the case of L-dopa contained in the seeds of Mucuna (DAHOUDA et al. 2009) [2] .
• However, despite an interesting protein content of Mucuna, its biological value is reduced by the presence of L-dopa. The oxidation products of L-dopase conjugate with the sulfhydryl residues of proteins to form the 5-S-cysteinyldopa complex leading to protein polymerization. The 5-S-cysteinyldopa complex may be one of the factors limiting the digestibility of Mucuna proteins and starch (DOSSA, 1999).
• L-dopa is also a toxic substance, causing nausea and headaches (PARDO et al. 1995). In birds, it leads to a slowing of growth and a decrease in food consumption (DEL CARMEN et al. 1999) [4] .
• The different treatments decrease the L-dopa content of Mucuna. However, these treatments affect the nutritional and feeding value of Mucuna. Thus, the purpose of this experiment is to determine which treatment decreases the L-dopa content the most but does not change the initial nutritional value of Mucuna. All treatments applied to the samples affected both the L-dopa content and the nutritional value of Mucuna seeds.
They can all be a source of feed for animals. They can be combined with cereals and byproducts (rice bran, wheat bran, etc.) which are grasses, thus making it possible to obtain a balanced diet. Moreover, they are available locally and even in abundance at low cost and, moreover, they do not compete with human food. The results of these two feeding treatments are shown by Gallus category. The experimentation on each treatment lasted 11 weeks.
Broilers
The average weekly weights of broilers fed with bicarbonated Mucuna seeds are given in Table 3. For all three experiments, an increase in broiler weight was observed. However, the incorporation of bicarbonated Mucuna decreases the average weight production of broilers by 631.6g, 526.4g and 408.8g for the 3 respective batches at 0%, 10% and 20%. Despite the interesting protein and amino acid content in Mucuna, its biological value is reduced by the presence of L-dopamine (3,4dihydroxyphenylalanine which is a nonprotein amino acid). This is due to the formation of 5-S-cysteinyldopa complex which limits the digestibility of protein and starch in Mucuna (DOSSA, 1999). In addition, between 10 and 20% of Mucuna seeds, the lower incorporation rate attributes a better effect on growth.
| Weeks | Weight in g | — | — |
|---|---|---|---|
| T0=0% Mucuna | T1= 10% Mucuna | T2= 20% Mucuna | |
| 0 | 46 | 45,9 | 45,8 |
| 1 | 89,1 | 90,6 | 95,4 |
| 2 | 101 | 91 | 96 |
| 3 | 255 | 209 | 214 |
| 4 | 436 | 326 | 303 |
| 5 | 598 | 443 | 366 |
| 6 | 686 | 576 | 424 |
| 7 | 803 | 719 | 505 |
| 8 | 961 | 767 | 557 |
| 9 | 1010 | 852 | 621 |
| 10 | 1294 | 1097 | 828 |
| 11 | 1300 | 1100 | 850 |
| Average | 631,6 | 526,4 | 408,8 |
| Standard deviation | 454,2 | 383,3 | 274,0 |
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As with the bicarbonated Mucuna feeds, the weekly average weights of chickens fed depelleted Mucuna are recorded in Table 4. Broilers fed depelleted seeds showed an increase in weight. Nevertheless, the incorporation of 10% dehulled Mucuna offers a distinct result among the 3 batches. The average weights obtained from broilers fed bicarbonated seeds of 631.6g, 526.4g and 408.8g for the 3 respective batches at 0%, 10% and 20% are higher against those fed depelleted seeds of 384.6g, 418.4g and 350.9g. NaHCO3 sodium bicarbonate helps to improve digestibility in broilers and leads to good weight growth (Mercier, Nuffer, Geraert, 2005) [12] . The weight gain of broilers fed bicarbonated Mucuna seeds during the experiment decreased inversely with increasing incorporation rate (Figure 4,a). While the weight gain perceived by the lot of the ration with 10% dehulled Mucuna seeds is higher among the 2 rations (0% and 20% Mucuna) (Figure 4, b). Thus, feeding Mucuna seed to broilers has a significant effect on weight gain.
| Weeks | Weight in g | — | — |
|---|---|---|---|
| T0 = 0 % Mucuna | T1 = 10 % Mucuna | T2 = 20 % Mucuna | |
| 0 | 45,8 | 45,7 | 45,7 |
| 1 | 90,0 | 91,1 | 91,7 |
| 2 | 123,9 | 132,9 | 123,0 |
| 3 | 170,6 | 193,9 | 176,4 |
| 4 | 255,4 | 282,8 | 219,6 |
| 5 | 313,0 | 320,8 | 282,9 |
| 6 | 370,7 | 391,0 | 357,9 |
| 7 | 485,6 | 488,8 | 410,3 |
| 8 | 523,3 | 548,0 | 446,6 |
| 9 | 556,1 | 601,0 | 494,7 |
| 10 | 680,0 | 724,0 | 660,5 |
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Local chickens
The average weekly weights of local breed chickens fed with bicarbonated and depelleted Mucuna seeds are presented in Table 5 and Table 6 respectively. A weight evolution of each batch is recorded. The average weight of the chickens obtained with a feed without Mucuna (820g) is the highest, preceded by batch 3 incorporated with 30% bicarbonated Mucuna seeds (806g). The evolution of the weight of the "Akoho Gasy The greatest gain during the experiment was observed in the batch of chickens receiving a ration containing 30% bicarbonate seeds apart from the batch without Mucuna (figure 5, a) but the difference between the 3 batches fed with these seeds was not significant.
| Weeks | Weight in g | — | — |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1:0% Mucuna | T2: 15% Mucuna | T3: 30% Mucuna | |
| 0 | 482,5 | 372,2 | 354,4 |
| 1 | 499,6 | 421,5 | 368,7 |
| 2 | 546,1 | 441,6 | 395,4 |
| 3 | 584,4 | 477,7 | 427,7 |
| 4 | 583,5 | 555,6 | 488,9 |
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| Weeks | Weight in g | — | — |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1:0% Mucuna | T2: 15% Mucuna | T3: 30% Mucuna | |
| 0 | 374 | 394 | 395 |
| 1 | 467 | 460 | 445 |
| 2 | 547 | 533 | 524 |
| 3 | 617 | 607 | 603 |
| 4 | 694 | 670 | 691 |
| 5 | 758 | 708 | 749 |
| 6 | 861 | 789 | 805 |
| 7 | 949 | 878 | 935 |
| 8 | 1023 | 966 | 1002 |
| 9 | 1087 | 1022 | 1076 |
| 10 | 1177 | 1116 | 1156 |
| 11 | 1286 | 1208 | 1296 |
| Average | 820 | 779 | 806 |
| Standard deviation | 291 | 262 | 290 |
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The weight gain of local breed chickens at 15% dehulled seeds is the highest among the 3 incorporation rates (figure 5,b)
Laying hens
Laying hens are weighed only at the beginning and at the end of the trial, the results of which are shown in Table 7 and 8. For laying hens, the ration with a 10% incorporation of bicarbonated Mucuna seeds showed a higher gain than the other two batches (without Mucuna and at a rate of 20%) (Figure 6, a).
| — | — | Weight in g | — |
|---|---|---|---|
| T0=0% Mucuna | T1= 10% Mucuna | T2= 20% Mucuna | |
| at the beginning of the test | 1500.00 | 1561.00 | 1660.80 |
| at the end of the test | 1540,80 | 1602,90 | 1697,50 |
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For those fed depelleted seeds, the weight gain increases proportionally to the rate of incorporation of these seeds.
(Figure 6 There was no significant difference between the percentage of egg laying rate of the batches receiving 0% and 10% Mucuna bicarbonate. The laying rate decreased inversely with the rates of incorporation of bicarbonated Mucuna seeds in the laying hen's diet (Figure 7, a). This is supported by a study in Florida which showed that a reduction in laying rate was observed during the experiment following an increase in the rate of incorporation of Mucuna seeds in the ration (Harms, Simpson, Waldroup, 1961) [8] . This decrease may be related to the existence of residual antinutritional factors (L-Dopa) in the ration even if the seeds were treated. This decrease is observed for the laying rate of hens fed depelleted seeds at 10% and 20% incorporation (Figure 7,b).
Conclusion
Treatment of depelleted Mucuna seeds at 15% incorporation is most effective for local chicks, at 10% for broilers and at 20% for layers. The L-Dopa value of the depelleted seeds is the lowest. This shows that this factor is located in the skins. The efficacy of adding bicarbonated Mucuna seeds for broilers and layers is at a 10% incorporation rate while for local breed chickens at 30%. The bicarbonate acts on the digestion, hence little effect of L-dopa. The incorporation of Mucuna seed meal in the ration favours the laying of eggs by laying hens, whether at a rate of 10% or 20%, of which the 10% incorporation rate of bicarbonated and depelleted seeds is more effective.
Acknowledgement
AcknowledgementsWe would like to thank To the Head of Department and the teams of the nutrition chemistry laboratory of the Department of Zootechnical, Veterinary and Piscicultural Research (DRZVP) Antananarivo To all the teams of the National Centre for Applied Research in Rural Development (CENRADERU/ FOFIFA) To the teams of the Centre de Recherches Zootechniques (CRZ) of Kianjasoa -To the entire DP SPAD and CIRAD project team Références 1. Bell EA, Janzen DH. Medical and ecological considerations of L-DOPA and 5-HTTP in seeds. Nature 1971;229:136-137.
Figures and tables from the paper
| Categories of Gallus | Mucuna " depelleted ". | — | Bicarbonated" Mucuna | — |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Gallus | Administration rate | Number of Gallus | Administration rate | |
| Broilers 60 day-old chicks | 10 | 0% | 10 | 0% |
| 10 | 10% | 10 | 10% | |
| 10 | 20% | 10 | 20% | |
| Local chickens 60 chicks of 45 days old "manara-penitra" with an average weight of 387,5 ± 62,3 g | 10 | 0% | 10 | 0% |
| 10 | 15% | 10 | 15% | |
| 10 | 30% | 10 | 30% | |
| Laying hens 60 ready-to-lay pullets, 18 weeks old and intensively reared before the experiment | 10 | 0% | 10 | 0% |
| 10 | 10% | 10 | 10% | |
| 10 | 20% | 10 | 20% |
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| — | — | Weight in g | — |
|---|---|---|---|
| T0=0% Mucuna | T1= 10% Mucuna | T2= 20% Mucuna | |
| at the beginning of the test | 1595 | 1529 | 1504 |
| at the end of the test | 1574 | 1616 | 1603 |
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References
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