Anti-Nutritional Factors of Green Leaves of Cassia obtusifolia and Kawal

摘要

Cassia obtusifolia (family leguminous) is a wild African plant found in wastelands in the rainy season. Its leaves can be fermented (named kawal) and is used by people from the eastern part of Chad and the western part of Sudan as meat replacer or meat extender. The role of kawal and the like is in providing the sauces which make these staples palatable. During famine years, kawal, a protein source, probably protected many children against kwashiorkor. Until a few years ago, kawal was little known to most Sudanese, for it was a product confined to the western provinces of the country, away from populated areas and centers of influence. Then as today, kawal was shunned by the elite who consider it unfit for modern social life because of its repugnant, fetid odor that lingers on the fingers for hours. The objectives of this study were to assess the effect of fermentation on anti-nutritional factors of Cassia obtusifolia leaves. The in vitro protein digestibility was significant (P<0.05) increased from 49.43 to 61.87%. It is recommended to use fermentation to decrease anti-nutritional factors of Cassia obtusifolia.