Mineral and anti-nutrient composition of Pennisetum pedicellatum Trin. grass

Abstract

The grass Pennisetum pedicellatum is an ornamental-like grass that is widely used in northern Nigeria as a source of animal feed especially by local animal farmers. The objective of this study was to determine the nutritional content of the grass and, hence, quantify their contribution to the animal feed so as to curb the unavailability of animal feed during the dry season. Both macronutrients and micronutrients were determined using flame photometry and atomic absorption spectrometric methods of analysis. The research investigates the mineral and anti-nutrients contents of Pennisetum pedicellatum grass. The anti-nutrients were determined using standard methods of food analyses. The mineral content of the sample showed a composition (mg/100gDW) of 11167 ± 3.82 sodium, 10850 ± 229.13 potassium, 108.3 ± 0.03 calcium, 28.3 ± 0.03 magnesium, 315.7 ± 0.03 phosphorus, 0.58 iron, 5.81 chromium and 4.07 nickel. However, copper, zinc and manganese were not detected in the sample. The anti-nutrient composition (mg/100 g DW) for oxalate, phytate, saponins, cyanide and tannins were 1.00 ± 0.0008, 3474 ± 0.0223, 56.00 ± 0.0035, 11.00 ± 0.0014 and 10.00 ± 0.0025, respectively. The anti-nutritional analysis reveals that the grass contains high amount of phytate and saponins and low oxalate content. The results revealed that the oxalic acid content of the grass is below the critical level while the phytate of the grass is above the critical level.