Agric. sci. dev., Vol(3), No (11), November, 2014. pp.

366-369

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Agriculture Science Developments

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ISSN:
2306-7527
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Replacement Effects of Soybean with Tephrosia Linearis meals on

Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Nutrient Digestibility and Blood
Components of Rabbit
Aderemi Foluke *
Department of Animal Science and Fisheries Management, Bowen University Iwo, Nigeria.

Adewumi Kolawole
Department of Animal Science, University of Ibadan,Nigeria.

Babayemi Jacobs
Department of Animal Science, University of Ibadan,Nigeria

Adedokun olubukola
Department of Animal Science, University of Ibadan,Nigeria
*Corresponding author: faaderemi@yahoo.co.uk

Keywords

Abstract

Unconventional ingredient
Acceptability
Rabbit
Carcass
Blood
Performance

A 7week study was carried out to assess the performance of weaner rabbits fed concentrate formulated with
graded levels of Tephrosia seed meal (TSM) as a replacement to soybean with equal amount of Tridax
forage.
Parboiled Tephrosia linearis seeds were dried and used to replace soybean meal at graded levels of (0%,
25%, 50% and 100%). Forty eight weaner rabbits were randomly assigned to four diets replicated thrice.
The TSM meal had crude protein 43.5%, ether extract 6.91% and crude fiber 10.4%.
Result showed that dry matter intake and body weight decreased significantly (P< 0.05) as inclusion of TSM
increased. There were no differences between the efficiency of feed utilization between TSM0 and TSM25,
but both diets were found to be better utilized than diets with 50 and100 %TSM. This suggests that inclusion
of TSM up to 25% did not affect efficiency of conversion of feed to meat.
Hematological values were normal except for lymphocytes and neutrophil.
The decreased digestibility of dry matter crude protein and ether extract for rabbit on TSM diets could be as
a result of lower energy content of the TSM diet and this reflected in a gradual decline in average daily
weight gain.. Rate of survival was significantly (P>0.05) affected among the dietary treatments. The
performance of rabbit fed in this study suggests that TSM could probably replace soybean at not more than
25% to avoid adverse effect on the rabbit.

1.

Introduction

Africa is currently plagued with food crisis, due partly to the unprecedented rise in human population and the alarming drop in per capita food
production particularly in the last decade. The food deficit situation is indeed more serious with protein deficiency when compared to the
availability of calories and the micro elements.
It was shown that supply of protein concentrates for non-ruminant feeding in the tropics has become inadequate over the years [1].
High cost of animal feed ingredients especially of protein source in Nigeria has increased the demand for inclusion of vegetable-based protein
sources in livestock diets. The continued increase in cost of conventional feeding ingredients especially those of protein source and the
competition between livestock and human, are the major constraints in the growth of the livestock industry in developing countries [2].
This has led nutritionist into finding alternative cheap feed ingredients for use in livestock feeds.
Tephrosia linearis is a browse tree which is available abundantly in the tropics. The seed was reported to contain high amount of crude protein
and volatile fatty acids however it contains high condensed tannins which are anti-nutritional. Pretreatment before the feeding will take care of
the anti-nutritional factor. In order to accelerate the supply of animal protein in Nigeria production of animals with short generation interval
should be encouraged.
Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is a monogastric herbivore, and its digestive physiology is well adapted to high intake of fibrous diets. Cost of
production of rabbit is minimal and its meat is recommended for the arteriosclerosis patients because of its low fat, cholesterol and sodium
content [3]. Rabbit production has gained interest in Nigeria because of the exorbitant prices of the conventional sources of meat. Its production
requires less space per unit number [4 and 5] and there is no cultural or religious biases /hindrance to its consumption [6]. Thus rabbits have
tremendous potential to alleviate the animal protein supply problem. [4 and 7]. Due to these attributes of rabbit over livestock, researchers have
put in more effort to improve on rabbit nutrition for better performance. Various authors had worked on the use of unconventional feed
ingredients in rabbit production to further make it cheaper. These feed ingredients should be of high nutritive value with low cost thus for this
study, Tephrosia seeds will be explored as a potential replacement to soybean in concentrate formulation for rabbit production.

2.

Methodology

The experiment was carried out at the Rabbit unit Teaching and Research Farm University of Ibadan. The study lasted seven weeks. Forty eight
weaner rabbits aged7-8 weeks old, a crossbreed of New Zealand white and chinchilla were used for this study. The pods of the Tephrosia linearis
were harvested during the late raining season (July September) dried in a jute bag to prevent loss of seed by explosive mechanism. Pods were

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Replacement Effects of Soybean with Tephrosia Linearis meals on Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Nutrient Digestibility and Blood Components of R...
Agriculture Science Developments Vol(3), No (11), November, 2014.

threshed by thorough beating of the pod winnowed and further sun dried, seeds were later soaked in 100o C boiled water for 48 hours, rinsed and
oven dried at 40oC for 24 hours. Four experimental diets were formulated with diet I being the control having 0% Tephrosia seed meal (TSM). In
diets II III and IV TSM was replaced with soybean meal at 25% 50% and 100% level respectively table 2. Rabbits were housed individually in
hutches with wire mesh floor making it comfortable for the rabbits. Good ventilation was ensured throughout the feeding trial by keeping the
windows of the experimental house opened. The animals were allowed two weeks for adjustment/adaptation. The rabbits were fed on replicate
basis with diets in combination with tridax at 50:50 ratios in different feeding trough. The forage Tridax procumbens was used to promote
smooth digestion of the concentrate. During the feeding trial no specific routine medication was followed but precautious were taken in case of
any disease outbreak. Cases of diarrhea were treated with 250mg of tetracycline once daily till improvement.
The proximate composition of the parboiled and raw tephrosia seeds was examined. The proximate composition of the concentrate compounded
was also carried out using Analysis Association of official Analytical Chemists methods [8].

3.

Methodology

3.1 Digestibility trial

At the end of the seventh week six rabbits were selected randomly from each dietary treatment and placed in metabolic cages. Wire nettings
were placed under the cages and a piece of nylon sheet placed under the nettings. This was to collect and separate the faeces from the urine.
Feaces and urine were collected everyday for seven days and pooled together stored at -20o c in a deep freezer. At the time of analysis the feaces
and urine were separately pooled together on replicate basis.
3.2 Blood Collection
At the end of the experiment blood samples were collected for analysis. This was done by puncturing the prominent vein of the ear with the aid
of needle and syringe. About 5mls of the blood was collected per animal into the blood sample bottle containing ethylene-diamine-tetra acetic
acid (EDTA) mixed and kept in the refrigerator for haematological analysis. Blood samples were also poured into another set of glass tubes
without anticoagulant for serum separation. The packed cell volume (PCV) was determined using the Wintrobe haematocrit method as described
by [9].Red blood cell (RBC and white blood cell (WBC) were determined, using Neubauer haemacytometer after the appropriate dilution. Blood
indices and corpuscular constants, mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin
concentration (MCHC) were determined using the appropriate formulae. Total protein was determined by Kjeldahl method as described by [10]
while albumin was determined using the Bromocresol green method as described by [11]. Aspartate transaminase (AST),Alanine transaminase
and Alkaline phosphatase(ALP) activities were determined using spectrophotometric methods as described by [12 and 13] respectively.
3.2 Statistical analysis
Statistical design employed was completely randomised design (CRD). All the data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance and where
statistical significance was observed, the means were compared using the Duncan multiple range test SAS software package was used for all the
statistical analysis [14].

4.

Results

Table 1 showed the proximate composition of raw and parboiled tephrosia seed, while the gross composition of the experimental diet is as
shown in table 2. The performance characteristics of rabbits fed TSM as a replacement to soybean meal at graded level of 0, 25, 50 and 100%
were shown on table 3. The results on blood analysis are as reflected in table 4 respectively. The haemoglobin values observed in this study were
within the normal range of 7.0-18.6gdl as reported by [15].
Table 1. Proximate Composition of parboiled and Raw Tephrosia Seed
Composition%
Crude protein
Crude fiber
Ether extract
Neutral detergent fiber
Acid detergent fiber
Lignin

Raw
43.8
8.24
5.84
21.3
18.9
6.05

Parboiled
43.5
10.4
6.91
69.3
23.9
8.90

Table 2. Gross Composition of Experimental Diets

Ingredients
Tephrosia seed meal
Soybean meal
Maize
Wheat offal
Palmkernel cake
Groundnut cake
Cassava flour
Oyster shell
Bone meal
Premix
Salt
Methionine

TSM0

TSM25

TSM50

TSM100

0.00
15.0
40.0
10.0
5.00
18.0
5.00
3.00
2.00
0.25
0.50
1.25

3.75
11.3
40.0
10.0
5.00
18.0
5.00
3.00
2.00
0.25
0.50
1.25

7.50
7.50
40.0
10.0
5.00
18.0
5.00
3.00
2.00
0.25
0.50
1.25

15.0
0.00
40.0
10.0
5.00
18.0
5.00
3.00
2.00
0.25
0.50
1.25

Total
100
100
100
100
Calculated analysis
Crude protein
20.2
20.4
20.6
20.7
Dry matter
91.5
93.3
94.6
97.8
Crude fiber
4.33
4.54
4.74
4.94
Ether extract
3.86
4.05
4.24
4.44
2.5kg of Premix contains 12,500,00 iu vit A, 2,500,00 iii Vit D3, 40,000 mg VitE, 2000mg Vitk3 3,000mg vit BI, 5,500mg vit B2 55,000mg Niacin 11,5000mg calcium panthothenate,
5000mg vit B6, 25mg vit B12 1000mg Folic Acid, 800mg Biotin, 500,000mg choline chloride 120,000mg manganese, 100,000mg iron , 80,000mg Zinc, 8500 copper, 1500mg iodine,
300mg cobalt, 120.mg selenium, 120, 00mg Antioxidant

Foluke Aderemi *, Kolawole Adewumi, Jacob Babayemi, Olubukola Adedokun

368

Agriculture Science Developments Vol(3), No (11), November, 2014.

Table 3. Performance Characteristic and nutrient digestibility of rabbits fed Tephrosia seed meal Diets
Parameters
Initial body weight, g
Final body weight, g
Average weight gain, g
Dry matter intake, g/day
Crude protein intake,g/day
Ether extract,g/day
Crude fiber,g/day
Water intake,mls/day
Feed conversion efficiency
Mortality

TSM0
603
1366a
15.6 a
69.3 a
72.4 a
69.1 a
55.9 a
152 a
4.45 c
0.00 c

TSM25
600
1168 b
11.6 b
51.7 b
70.3 b
67.1 b
43.2 b
90.3 c
4.46 c
0.00 c

TSM50
700
925 c
4.59 c
40.4 c
65.4 b
63.5 b
37.9 c
81.3 c
8.79 a
33.3 b

TSM100
658
966 c
6.29 c
39.0 c
32.0 c
27.9 c
43.8 b
118 b
6.19 b
50.0 a

SEM
Nd
34.9
2.05
7.58
11.9
11.6
2.74
20.2
1.23
7.69

P=0.05
Ns
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

abc Values within a row with different superscripts differ significantly at P<0.05.
Ns- not significant

Table 4. Haematological and biochemical component of rabbit fed Tephrosia seed meal
Parameters
PCV(%)
Haemoglobin
WBC cells/mm
Neutrophils(%)
Lymphocytes(%)
Total protein(g/dl)
Albumin(g/dl)
Globulin (g/dl)
GOT(iu/l)
GPT(iu/l)

TSM0
38.3
13.0
5150
55.0ab
44.5b
5.47
2.00
3.47
4.00
5.77a

TSM25
37.3
12.8
5490
51.0b
48.0ab
5.78
2.16
3.93
3.50
3.67b

TSM50
33.3
11.5
4250
46.5b
53.5a
5.99
2.17
3.99
4.00
5.25ab

TSM100
30.0
10.7
5000
58.0a
41.0c
5.26
1.95
3.31
4.00
5.77a

SEM
2.06
2.04
324
4.48
3.66
0.87
0.03
0.02
0.03
0.05

P = 0.05
Ns
Ns
Ns
*
*
Ns
Ns
Ns
Ns
*

abc Values within a row with different superscripts differ significantly at P<0.05.
Ns- not significant

5.

Discussion

The parboiling treatment was necessary because of the condensed tannin content of the seed. This is in line with previous authors like [16and 17]
who had worked with unconventional feed ingredient with similar anti nutritional factors.
The nutrient composition of the diets is adequate according to the levels recommended by [5]. It was possible to formulate the diets and ensure
adequate supply of the basic nutrients to the rabbits because of the high protein content of TSM. The high crude protein content of TSM suggests
its potentiality as protein feedstuffs.
Performance characteristics
The performance characteristics of rabbits fed TSM as a replacement to soybean meal at graded level of 0, 25, 50 and 100% were shown on table
3. From the feed intake value it was seen that the rabbits total dry matter intake decreased as the level of inclusion of TSM increased 69.31,
51.74, 40.39 and 38.95 g/d.
The decrease in feed intake with increasing level of TSM can be attributed physically to the taste of the test ingredient. This is similar to trend
observed by [18] while using unthreshed amaranth seed head in formulating ration for rabbit.
The significant difference between the intakes of crude protein, ether extract and crude fiber of the control and rabbits on TSM was an indication
that the inclusion of TSM imposed physical limitation on intake. This was similar to report of [18] on the use of unthreshed amaranth seed head
also [19] who stated decreased feed intake of rabbits fed concentrate and stylosanthes combination under tropical conditions. This is in
agreement with [20] who reported that utilization of agricultural by-products and residues as feed ingredient is subject to some inherent
constraints, of particular importance are problems associated with procurement, storage poor feed intake and high fibre contents all of which
result in poor performance. The water intake by the rabbits on various diets is within the range for water requirement and similar level was
observed [21]. There were no differences between the efficiency of feed utilization between TSM0 and TSM25, but both diets were found to be
better utilized than diets with 50 and100 %TSM. This suggests that inclusion of TSM up to 25% did not affect efficiency of conversion of feed
to meat. The result corroborates the findings of other workers [22].
Rabbit on control had higher weight gain than those on TSM diets as the inclusion level of TSM increased the weight gain of the rabbits were
depressed. The reduction in the weight gain was more drastic than intake when the level of inclusion reached 100% suggesting that the low
weight reached at higher levels of inclusion was not due mainly to limited intake but probably to poor utilization of the feed or presence of toxic
components. This was in accordance with the result of [18, 19] Observations in this study corroborates the observation made with chicks and
pigs that the reduction in growth rate was preceded by a reduction in the feed intake when Jackbean was used [23]. Poor utilization of the
Tephrosia seed meal at high level of inclusion may be due to presence of anti nutritional factor as it has been reported to contain condensed
tannin [24 and 25].This perhaps is also a pointer to the fact that more pretreatment other than mere soaking in boiled water was required to take
care of the condensed tannin in question.
Digestibility
The decreased digestibility of dry matter crude protein and ether extract for rabbit on TSM diets could be as a result of lower energy content of
the TSM diet and this reflected in a gradual decline in average daily weight gain. This could possibly be explained with the findings of [26, 27]
who reported a significant positive correlation between the crude protein content of feed and crude protein digestibility. It could also be as a
result of the condensed tannin forming complexes with the nutrient thereby rendering them indigestible this corroborate the report of [28] who
reported depression in feed intake and nutrient digestibility of broiler chickens when fed 3.9% condensed tannins purified from vicia faba seeds.
The haematological and biochemical components of rabbits fed experimental diet were as indicated in table 4. The haematocrit (PCV) values
observed for diets with 0, 25 and 50% TSM ranged between 33.3 and 38.3% which correspond with the standard value of 31.0- 48.6% as
reported by [29]. The lower PCV values observed in TSM100 suggests the possibility that rabbits on this diet suffered from normocytic anaemia.
The dietary treatment had no effect on white blood cell, albumin and total protein. Minor variations among the haematological parameters of the
rabbits on the experimental diets may be because of the anti nutritional factors in the Tephrosia seed meal, used in the diet. Tannin was
responsible for haemolytic activities as reported by [23]. The least value from this experiment was still within the standard range and similar to

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Replacement Effects of Soybean with Tephrosia Linearis meals on Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Nutrient Digestibility and Blood Components of R...
Agriculture Science Developments Vol(3), No (11), November, 2014.

findings of (30).The white blood cells (WBC) values were within normal range this was at variance with the researchers who reported higher
values. The haemoglobin values which ranged between 10.7 13.1g/dl are in line with standard values 9.37 13.40g/dl (30). The lymphocyte
and neutrophil values were affected by the dietary treatment but with no particular statistical trend, they were also within normal range. The
Glutamine oxaloecetic transaminase (GOT)/Aspartate transaminase (AST) and Glutamic pyruvic transaminase/ alanine transaminase(ALT)
values were much lower than the standard values which were 72.3/l for male and 68.1/ l for female rabbit (30). Possibly this was an
indication of cellular necrosis.
Mortalities of 33.3 and 50.0% were observed for rabbits on diets with 50 and 100%TSM respectively. Post mortem analysis showed that the
lungs were flabby and shrinks at the apex. The liver was necrotic and there was no sufficient blood in the skin of the rabbit which was seriously
cancerous. This might be in connection with the toxic effect of the condensed tannin.
The non demand of the test ingredient unlike the highly priced soybean can make it to be more available and cheaper but the health implication
of this non conventional feed ingredient on experimental animals is equally important.
Implications
The thrust of this research work is mainly adding value or improving tephrosia seeds and harnessing such into livestock production as feed
ingredients, by so doing solving the problem of food scarcity as well as environmental pollution. Feed resource base for rabbit will be expanded
by converting what was hitherto regarded as waste into productive channel thus eradicating competition for food between man and animals.

6.

Conclusion

From this study it has been demonstrated that parboiled TSM could replace soybean at much lower percentage than 25% in concentrate feed to
avoid adverse effect on the rabbit. However, more studies are needed to further improve the nutritive value of tephrosia seed meal for higher
inclusion in the concentrate.

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[21]
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[25]
[26]
[27]
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[29]
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