Nutritional Evaluation of Cassava Meal Components and Maize in Securing Feed and Food

Cassava and maize are significant cropsglobally, contributing to both human and animal nutrition.However, there's limited comprehensive research on theirnutritional composition across various sections. This studyaimed to analyze the main nutritional elements indifferent parts of cassava and maize to bridge this gap andpotentially impact dietary recommendations and foodsecurity measures. Methods: Samples of fully maturedcassava roots and leaves, as well as maize kernels, werecollected and processed into flour. Physico-chemicalproperties, including ash content, crude protein, crude fat,crude fiber, nitrogen-free extract, metabolic energy,amino acids, minerals, and DPPH free radical activity, wereanalyzed using established methods. Results: Significantvariations were observed in the nutritional compositionacross different sections of cassava and maize. Cassavaleaves exhibited high ash content and crude protein, whilemaize flour showed higher crude fat. Cassava root and leafflour mixture had notable mineral content and DPPH freeradical activity. Cassava leaves (T3; 44.35±0.70) had thelowest nitrogen-free extract (NFE) concentration, whilecassava roots (T2; 82.55±1.33) had the greatest. It'sinteresting to note that cassava leaves had the highest freeradical activity (71.66±1.19) compared to other leaves.Conclusion: Understanding the nutritional profile ofcassava and maize sections can inform dietaryrecommendations and farming practices. Utilizing cassavaand its byproducts, particularly in poultry feed, showspromise for improving growth performance, carcasscharacteristics, and meat quality. This could benefit small-scale chicken farmers by reducing costs and enhancingagricultural productivity.