Moringa oleifera Lam. leaf meal as a protein supplement for small ruminants in tropical conditions: nutrient content at different harvest dates during the year

Abstract

This study reports the nutrient composition of leaves of Moringa oleifera harvested at five different dates throughout the year. The leaves of M. oleifera were harvested from Güemez, Tamaulipas, Mexico during the rainy (3 dates) and dry season (2 dates) in 2016–2017. A proximate analysis was carried out on the processed samples using standard analytical procedures. Mineral constituents were wet digested and analyzed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer and a flame photometer. Harvest date significantly influenced nutrient composition of M. oleifera leaves. The content of neutral detergent fiber increased (during third and fourth harvest dates) as well as acid detergent fiber (during third harvest date) and crude protein declined. The highest crude protein content (26.33%) was observed during the first harvest date. The mineral contents of Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn and Cu varied significantly across harvest dates, except Zn concentration. The ranges of Ca and Mg contents were 1.07–1.78% and 0.18–0.28%, respectively. The ranges of Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu contents were 126–414, 28.2–42.5, 67.9–95.5 and 1.03–5.46 ppm, respectively. The presence of these essential nutrients and minerals suggest that M. oleifera leaves could be utilized as source of feed supplement to improve growth performance and health status of small ruminants in harsh environments with limited feed supply in the dry season.