According to a recent report nearly 42 per cent Indian kids are malnourished and stunted. The aim of our project was to develop nutraceutical products using alfalfa as one of the components to overcome undernourishment particularly... more
According to a recent report nearly 42 per cent Indian kids are
malnourished and stunted. The aim of our project was to develop
nutraceutical products using alfalfa as one of the components to
overcome undernourishment particularly among women and
children. The seeds of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) contain more
nutritional property when compared with other leguminous seeds. It
contains 18.9% of protein when compared with egg (13.1%), milk
(3.3%) and beef (16.5%). This paper reports the investigation results
of phytochemical analysis of alfalfa seed extracts using the procedure
of Sadasivam and Manickam (2009). The presence of proteins,
carbohydrates, saponins, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, flavonoids
etc. was observed in sprouted alfalfa seeds extracted by solvents such
as ethanol, petroleum and chloroform. The presences of proteins,
carbohydrates, saponins, alkaloids etc were confirmed by the present
investigation. Thus the cost effective nutraceutical product containing
alfalfa along with other cereals and pulses would serve the humanity
to fight undernourishment in an easy and economical way.
Abstract Aim: This study examined the effects of creep feed (CF) supplementation (with or without Alfalfa) on the pre-weaning growth performance of nursing goat kids. Materials and Methods: A total of forty eight (48), 7 days old, single... more
Abstract Aim: This study examined the effects of creep feed (CF) supplementation (with or without Alfalfa) on the pre-weaning growth performance of nursing goat kids. Materials and Methods: A total of forty eight (48), 7 days old, single born kids (live weight 4.4±0.09 kg) were divided into three treatment groups, each containing eight males and eight females. All three groups had access to their dams’ milk (DM). The kids from the first treatment group had free access to CF containing alfalfa (CFA) while those from the second group had free access to CF without alfalfa. The third treatment group (control) had access to their DM only. All three groups were kept isolated from the dams from 800 to 1200 h and from 1400 to 1800 h while having access to CF. Results: Total weight gain and average daily gain of kids from CFA group (11.2±0.36 kg, 145.2±4.64 g) was significantly higher (p<0.05) than kids from CF (7.9±0.49 kg, 102.9±6.43 g) and DM (5.5±0.43 kg, 71.1±5.56 g) groups. The weaning weight of kids from CFA group (15.6±0.39 kg) was significantly higher (p<0.05) than those from CF (12.1±0.56 kg) and DM (9.9±0.59 kg) groups. Conclusion: This result shows that supplementation of CF combined with alfalfa from birth to weaning enhances growth performance of cross-bred Boer goat kids. Keywords: boer, creep feed, growth performance, pre-weaning, alfalfa.
According to a recent report nearly 42 per cent Indian kids are malnourished and stunted. The aim of our project was to develop nutraceutical products using alfalfa as one of the components to overcome undernourishment particularly among... more
According to a recent report nearly 42 per cent Indian kids are malnourished and stunted. The aim of our project was to develop nutraceutical products using alfalfa as one of the components to overcome undernourishment particularly among women and children. The seeds of alfalfa ( Medicago sativa ) contain more nutritional property when compared with other leguminous seeds. It contains 18.9% of protein when compared with egg (13.1%), milk (3.3%) and beef (16.5%). This paper reports the investigation results of phytochemical analysis of alfalfa seed extracts using the procedure of Sadasivam and Manickam (2009). The presence of proteins, carbohydrates, saponins, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, flavonoids etc. was observed in sprouted alfalfa seeds extracted by solvents such as ethanol, petroleum and chloroform. The presences of proteins, carbohydrates, saponins, alkaloids etc were confirmed by the present investigation. Thus the cost effective nutraceutical product containing alfalfa a...
