Comparison of nutritional values of brown and white beans in Jos North Local Government markets

Cowpea is an important bean which play significant role in the diets of Africans. It serves as a major source of protein in the absence of sufficient animal protein for the population. Two varieties (white and brown) of  cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) were analyzed for their proximate and elemental contents. These varieties belong to the same species in the family leguminosae. The brown and white seeds were found to be nutritious. Both contained carbohydrate, protein, fibers and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, zinc, manganese and copper. The crude protein was found to be 15.62 and 17.91% with the brown seeds having the higher amount. The carbohydrate content analyzed was found to be 56.80 and 60.57% with the  white seeds having the higher value. The crude lipid gave the least range which is 2.13 to 2.42%. The other parameters, moisture content, crude fiber and total ash contents were 3.56 to 5.08, 13.54 to 14.15 and 4.07 to 4.27%, respectively. Potassium and copper had the highest and lowest concentration in cowpea varieties ranging from 741 to 768 and 0.58 to 0.60 mg/100 g, respectively. There were significant (p<0.05) differences between the potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, manganese and zinc concentration of the cowpea varieties, except between iron and copper concentration.Key words: Vigna unguiculata, cowpeas, nutrition, minerals, vitamins

Efficacy of Terminalia avicennoides and its combination with diminazene aceturate (Berenil®) in rats experimentally infected with Trypanosoma brucei brucei

A comparative study was carried out to investigate the efficacy of the aquous extract of Terminalia avecinnoides alone and its combination with diminazene aceturate. Thirty Wister albino rats of both sexes weighing  between 250 -260gms were distributed into six groups (A-F) of five rats  each. All the rats in groups A-E were infected with 0.5ml of blood containing 1x106 Trypanosoma brucei brucei. Rats in group F were uninfected and  untreated (control). Rats in groups A -D were treated 5 days  post-inoculation orally, with 3.5mg/kg Berenil® alone, 80mg/kg plant  extract alone, 80mg/kg extract plus 1.75 mg/kg Berenil®and 1.75 mg/kg Berenil®respectively were infected Group E, not treated. Treatment with extract alone resulted in reduction in parasitaemia, but was not curative. However, Berenil® treatment alone and its combination with the extract resulted in the clearance of the parasite.The result obtained suggests that T. avecinnoides alone and its combination with Berenil® offer great potentials as alternative products for the treatment of trypanosomiasis