Effect of different processing methods of Hibiscus sabdariffa l. Seeds on growth performance and blood profile of Yankasa ram lambs
The need to evaluate the nutritional value of different processing methods and higher inclusion levels of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. seeds and sprouts in diets of small ruminants necessitated this study to investigate the performance of Yankasa ram lambs fed raw and differently processed H. sabdariffa seeds in maize offal-based diets. Three processing methods; soaking in water (WS), sprouting (SP) and grinding (GR) at 25% dietary inclusions and 15% raw H. sabdariiffa seeds (RHS) and a control diet, i.e. no hibiscus seeds (NHS) were adopted in a 5×5 Latin square arrangement, with five replicates per treatment using Yankasa ram lambs of 17-24 kg. The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance using general linear model procedure of SAS and treatment means were compared using Duncan Multiple Range test. The 25% dietary inclusion of water soak (WSHS), 25% ground (GRHS), and 15% RHS and the NHS diets were statistically similar and significantly higher (P<0.05) for weight gain, lower feed conversion ratio (FCR) and feed cost/kg gain than 25% inclusion of SPHS while the 25% dietary inclusion of WSHS had the least feed cost/kg gain among the treatment groups. The dietary inclusion of WSHS had higher (P<0.05) digestibility coefficients for dry matter, crude protein, crude fibre and nitrogen free extract among treatment group while the 25% inclusion of SPHS recorded least digestibility values except for crude ash content. The blood indices obtained in this study were all within the normal range values, though inclusions of RHS and all processed H. sabdarriffa seeds increased (P<0.05) the haemoglobin, white blood cells and neutrophil of Yankasa ram lambs compare to the control NHS diet. Also, the dietary inclusion of 25% WSHS had higher (P<0.05) total protein, globulin and cholesterol than the control diet. It could be concluded that dietary inclusions of WSHS and GRHS were more economical and could potentially be more adoptable compared to the SPHS, although inclusion of WS seeds gave a better feed cost/kg gain and nutrient digestibility. The inclusion of SPHS imposed a negative effect on the performance of Yankasa ram lambs. Therefore, there is need for further studies to evaluate the performance of small ruminants with higher dietary inclusions of WSHS and GRHS.
Keywords: Roselle seed, processing, performance, small ruminant