Volume 1, Issue 2, June-2018: 5-11

International Journal of Current Innovations in Advanced Research ISSN: 2636-6282

Chemical Composition of Gmelina (Gmelina arborea)

Fruits and Leaves and Their Adoption as Livestock Feed
Resources in Mubi Area

*Augustine, C., *Khobe, D., **Madugu, A.J., ***Obidah, L.U.,

***Solomsi, A.A., ***Tarimbuka, L.I. and ****Edward, A.

*Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Adamawa State University,

Mubi, Nigeria.
**Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Faculty of Agriculture,
Adamawa State University, Mubi, Nigeria.
***Department of Animal Health and Production Technology, College of Agriculture,
Ganye, Adamawa State.
****Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Adamawa State University, Mubi, Nigeria
Corresponding author E-mail: audaggai@gmail.com. GSM NO: +2348132946167

Abstract: Gmelina arborea fruits and leaves have been neglected in the feeding of livestock
in Mubi area of Adamawa State, Nigeria and this therefore necessitated the need to conduct
studies on their chemical composition, level of awareness and adoption of their utilization as
livestock feed. A laboratory analysis and field survey was conducted to evaluate the chemical
properties of Gmelina arborea fruit and leaves, assess the level of awareness and adoption of
the fruits and leaves as livestock feed resources in Mubi Area. The proximate composition,
amino acid profile and levels of anti-nutritional factors of Gmelina arborea leaves and fruits
were determined in triplicates using standard laboratory procedures. Structured
questionnaires were used to collect data from livestock farmers in Mubi area of Adamawa
State. Eighty (80) livestock farmers irrespective of type of livestock kept were randomly
selected and interviewed using structured questionnaires and the data collected were analysed
and summarized in Tables using simple descriptive statistics (frequency distribution and
percentages). The result of the laboratory analysis revealed that Gmelina arborea fruit and
leaves have good nutritional value with protein content of 21.50% and 13.20%, respectively.
However, the fruit and leaves were observed to contain some toxic components whose
concentration in the fruit include tannins (3.20g/100g), oxalates (6.70 g/100g), flavonoids
(5.30 g/100g), phytates (5.80 g/100g) and saponins (4.60 g/100 g), respectively while the
leaves showed concentrations of 1.20, 1.80, 3.10, 0.85 and 0.72 g/100 g of tannins, oxalates,
flavonoids, phytates and saponins, respectively. The outcome of the level of awareness and
adoption of Gmelina fruits and leaves as livestock feed resources indicated that greater
proportion (73.25 %) of the respondents interviewed are not aware while only few (15 %) of
them are aware. Majority of the respondents (72.50 %) showed willingness to feed their
animals with gmelina fruits and leaves, 13.75 % fruits only and 6.25% leaves only and 7.50
% showed no interest. It can be concluded that Gmelina fruits and leaves may have the
potentials as livestock feed resources when they are properly processed before feeding to
livestock. Therefore, more studies are required to determine the best processing method(s)
that will detoxify the fruits and leaves. Furthermore, the fruit and leaves should be used in a
feeding trials in Mubi area, with a view to evaluating their feeding values.
Keywords: Chemical composition, gmelina, potentials, livestock, utilization

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International Journal of Current Innovations in Advanced Research ISSN: 2636-6282

Citation: Augustine, C., Khobe, D., Madugu, A.J., Obidah, L.U., Solomsi, A.A., Tarimbuka,
L.I. and Edward, A. 2018. Chemical Composition of Gmelina (Gmelina arborea) Fruits and
Leaves and Their Adoption as Livestock Feed Resources in Mubi Area. International Journal
of Current Innovations in Advanced Research, 1(2): 5-11.
Copyright: This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction
in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Copyright©2018;
Augustine, C., Khobe, D., Madugu, A.J., Obidah, L.U., Solomsi, A.A., Tarimbuka, L.I. and
Edward, A.

Introduction
Forest trees provide resources that sustain all forms of life on the planet (Shamaki et al.,
2014). Ubani and Tewe (2001) further pointed out that many indigenous tropical trees of
West Africa may have potentials as feed resources for livestock. Gmelina arborea is a fast
growing deciduous tree which is often planted in Nigeria as avenue trees in garden, villages
along agricultural land and on village community lands (Ajayi, 2013). In Nigeria, large
investment in Gmelina arborea plantations have been made particularly to provide raw
materials for pulps and paper mills (Ajayi, 2004). However, the leaves and fruit of Gmelina
arborea have been neglected in the feeding of livestock in some areas of the North-eastern
Nigeria particularly Mubi area of Adamawa State, Nigeria. The fruits which are not edible by
humans are always allowed to waste away without being properly harnessed and utilized as
livestock feed. Lamidi et al., (2009) further reported that Gmelina leaves have been used as a
non-conventional feed stuff which is available all year round.

There is also the need to sensitize livestock keepers to adopt the utilization of these resources
for livestock feeding particularly in Mubi area of Adamawa State, Nigeria. Before livestock
keepers can be convinced to adopt the utilization of Gmelina arborea fruit and leaves. The
chemical properties of the fruits and the leaves need to be thoroughly investigated so as to
avoid any nutritional error or problems. At the moment, information on the chemical
composition of Gmelina arborea fruits and leaves and adoption of Gmelina arborea leaves
and fruits as feed materials for livestock seems to be scanty especially in North-eastern
Nigeria. Hence, the need to bridge such information gap. This study was therefore, designed
to evaluate the chemical composition of Gmelina arborea fruits and leaves, level of
awareness and adoption of their uses as livestock feed resources.

Materials and methods

Study area
The study was conducted in Mubi area of Adamawa State, Nigeria. The area is located
between latitudes 9o30¹ and 11o North of the equator and longitudes 13o and 13o 45¹ East of
the Greenwich meridian. The temperature regime in the region is warm to hot throughout the
year however; there is usually a slight cold period between November and February. There is
a gradual increase in temperature from January to April. The minimum and maximum
temperatures of the area are 18.1oC and 32.8 oC while the mean annual rainfall ranges from
900 -1050 mm (Adebayo, 2004).

Identification, collection and processing of gmelina fruits and leaves

Gmelina arborea fruits and leaves were authenticated at the Department of Botany,
Adamawa State University, Mubi by a Botanist. The ripe fruits and leaves were collected
from gmelina trees in Mubi area of Adamawa State, Nigeria. The ripe fruits and leaves were
properly sun-dried, milled and sieved through a 1mm sieve to form the fruits and leaves meal.

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Chemical analysis
The proximate composition, amino acid profile and levels of the anti-nutritional factors of
Gmelina arborea fruits and leave meal were determined in triplicates using the standard
procedures of AOAC (2004). The dry matter content was determined using the oven dry
method and crude protein was determined using the Kjeldahl procedure. Soxhlet extraction
procedure was used to determine the ether extract. The fibre content was evaluated using the
trichloroacetic method and the ash content was determined using the murfle furnace ignition
method. The nitrogen-free extract (NFE) was computed using the formula:

NFE = 100 – (% moisture + CP + CF +EE +ASh)

Where:
CP = crude protein
CF = crude fibre
EE = ether extract

The amino acid profile was analyzed using Isocratic High Performance Liquid
Chromatography (HPLC) equipment model No. BLC 10/11 using the procedures described
by Pearson (1991).

Level of awareness and adoption of the utilization of Gmelina fruits and leaves as livestock
feed materials were assessed using structured questionnaire. Eighty (80) livestock farmers
irrespective of type of livestock kept were randomly selected and interviewed using
structured questionnaire. Data obtained were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics
(frequency and Percentage).

Results and discussion

The result of the proximate composition of Gmelina arborea fruits and leaves is presented in
Table 1. The result indicated that the fruit and the leaves had good protein content 21.5% and
14.2%, respectively. The dry matter, protein content, and nitrogen free extract of the fruit
obtained in this study is slightly higher than the values reported by Amata (2012) for ripe
Gmelina fruits. This variation can be accounted by differences in geographical location, soil
and climatic factors and even analytical procedure. However, the protein content of the seed
meal has qualifies it to be an alternative cheaper protein source for feeding of livestock
especially monogastric animals. Banerjee (2005) further buttressed that any feed material
with crude protein content of 18% and above is classified as protein feed material for
livestock. This therefore revealed that Gmelina arborea fruit has promising potentials as
livestock feed resource. This was further supported by Azor and Abimbola (2003) who
reported that processed Gmelina fruit can be fed to animals without adverse effects.

Table 1. Proximate Composition of Gmelina arborea Fruits and Leaves Meal

Nutrients (%) Fruits Leaves
Dry matter 91.80±3.21 89.80± 7.33
Crude protein 21.50±2.09 13.20±4.00
Crude fibre 11.20±4.61 16.50±3.16
Ether extract 9.20±2.19 4.50±1.15
Ash 7.40±2.77 6.00±2.88
Nitrogen-free extract 23.57±5.21 19.60±3.90

The fairly high crude protein value of the leaves indicate that they are likely to be good feed
materials for ruminant animals which concurred with the report of Amata (2012) who

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pointed out that Gmelina leaves have good amino acid profile which indicates that the leaves
could be a good source of protein for domestic animals. The protein content of the leaves is
however, within the range of 12 to 30% for most tropical trees as reported by Norton (1998).
However, the protein content and ether extract recorded in this study is slightly lower than the
values of 14.6 and 12.7% as reported by Amata and Lebari (2011). These differences could
be attributed to variations in soil and climatic factors and geographical locations. Ubani and
Tewe (2001) reported the crude protein content of the leaves of some multipurpose trees and
shrubs: Afezelia bella (10.30%), Dialum guineense (11.73%), Newbouldia (17.86 %), Bapha
ntida (19.36 %) and Albizia zygia (24.10 %) of which only Afezelia bella and Dialum
guineense showed lower protein values when compared to Gmelina arborea leaves. The fruit
and the leaves were observed to have fair content of ash, ether extract and nitrogen-free
extract (Table 1) indicating that they have promising nutritional value as livestock feed
resources.

The leaves and fruits indicated good distribution of amino acid profile (Table 2) indicating
it’s potential as alternative protein feed ingredient for domestic animals. However, the seed
meal had fairly high lysine, threonine, leucine, Phenylalanine and valine content. The amino
acids content obtained in this study is close to the values reported by Amata (2012).

Table 2. Amino acid Profile of Gmelina arborea Leaves and Fruits

Amino acids (g/100g) Leaves fruits
Lysine 3.07±1.07 5.20±1.52
Methionine 1.35±0.11 2.30±0.97
Threonine 2.30±0.97 4.15±1.18
Isoleusine 1.99±0.21 3.64±1.76
Leusine 3.45±1.06 6.21±2.43
Phenylalanine 2.08±0.55 5.20±1.95
Valine 1.32±0.02 4.30±1.04
Histidine 1.90±0.05 2.85±0.17
Arginine 1.55±0.12 3.20±1.42
Serine 1.31±0.31 3.27±1.06
Cysteine 0.80±0.02 1.22±0.02
Tyrosine 2.09±1.01 4.62±1.85
Alanine 2.95±0.71 5.02±2.59
Glutamic acid 3.30±1.24 4.25±1.83
Glycine 3.75±1.38 8.54±3.67

The results of the chemical analysis further indicated that the fruit and leaves contain some
toxic components (Table 3) such as tannins, oxalates, flavonoids, phytates and saponins. This
finding is in line with the report of Amata (2012) who observed similar anti-nutritional
factors in ripe Gmelina fruit. These toxic factors may be harmful to livestock when consumed
beyond certain thresh hold and in addition may limit nutrient utilization and consequently
affect animal performance.

The toxicological effects of Gmelina arborea extract was demonstrated using rats (Kulkani
and Veeranianevulu, 2010). Soetan and Oyewale (2009) further pointed out that anti-
nutritional factors such as tannins and phytates inhibit the activity of digestive enzymes
which consequently affects digestion and availability of nutrients in the body of animals.

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Table 3. Levels of Anti-nutritional Factors of Gmelina arborea Fruits and Leaves
Anti-nutrients (g/100g) Fruit Leaves
Tannins 3.20±1.25 1.20±0.97
Oxalates 6.70±2.71 1.80±0.27
Flavonoid 5.30±2.33 3.10±1.54
Phytates 5.80±2.09 0.85±0.07
Saponins 4.60±1.78 0.72±0.04

The levels of the toxic factors seems to be more concentrated in the fruit than the leaves.
Suggesting that, more caution need to be taken when utilizing the fruit in feeding livestock.
There is need to process both the fruits and the leaves before feeding them to domestic
animals especially monogastric animals.

The outcome of the level of awareness on the utilization of Gmelina fruits and leaves (Table
4) revealed that majority of the livestock farmers (73.75 %) are not aware of the use of these
feed resources in Mubi area of Adamawa State, Nigeria. While only 15 % of the respondents
were aware of the use of Gmelina arborea fruits and leaves as livestock feed resources in the
study area.

The outcome therefore, necessitates the need to intensify studies on the chemical properties
of Gmelina fruits/leaves and performance response of domestic animals fed Gmelina fruits
and leaves in Mubi area of Adamawa State. Studies were conducted on the utilization of
Gmelina fruit as feed ingredient for swine (Azor and Abimbola, 2003); Gmelina leaves as
feed material for goats (Okanwoko and Okehielem, 2016) in Illorin and Porthacourt,
respectively. This implies that livestock farmers in these areas are more informed about the
feeding values of Gmelina fruits and leaves to livestock.

Table 4. Level of Awareness on the Utilization of Gmelina Fruits and Leaves in Mubi
Area
Respondents Number Percentage
No. of farmers aware 12.00 15.00
No, of farmers not aware 59.00 73.25
No response 9.00 11.25
Total 80.00 100.00
Source: Field survey (2016)

The results of willingness to adopt the utilization of Gmelina fruits and leaves as livestock
feedstuffs are presented in Table 5. The results indicated that a greater proportion of the
respondents (72.50 %) in Mubi area are willing to feed their domestic animals with Gmelina
fruits and leaves if recommended and found suitable as livestock feed while only 6.25 % of
the respondents are willing to feed their domestic animals with the leaves only.

Fewer respondents (7.50 %) did not show any interest to feed their animals with the fruits or
leaves. This outcome therefore suggests that more studies are required on the chemical
properties and feeding value of Gmelina fruits and leaves in Mubi area of Adamawa State,
Nigeria. This will create more awareness and encourage many farmers to adopt the use of
Gmelina fruits and leaves as feed resources for livestock.

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Table 5. Respondents Willingness to Adopt the Use of Gmelina Fruits and Leaves for
feeding livestock
Respondents Number Percentage
Willingness to adopt both fruit and leaves 58.00 72.50
Willingness to adopt only fruit 11.00 13.75
Willingness to adopt only leaves 5.00 6.25
Not willing to adopt 6.00 7.50
Total 80.00 100.00
Source: Field survey (2016)

Conclusion
The findings of this study revealed that Gmelina arborea fruits and leaves have good
nutritional potentials as feed materials for livestock. However, they also contain some toxic
components such as tannins, oxalates, flavonoids, phytates and saponins which may limit
their utilization as feed resources for livestock. The outcome of the level of awareness and
adoption of Gmelina fruits and leaves as livestock feed resources indicated that, majority of
the respondents are not aware. However, some of the respondents have shown interest to
adopt the utilization of Gmelina fruit or leaves as livestock feedstuffs in Mubi area of
Adamawa State, Nigeria. Further study should be conducted on the best processing
method(s) that will enhance optimal utilization of Gmelina arborea fruits and leaves as feed
resources for livestock. Feeding trial using Gmelina arborea fruits and leaves should be
conducted in Mubi area of Adamawa State, Nigeria with a view to evaluating their actual
feeding value to animals.

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