ABSTRACT

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the extraction of Leaf Protein Concentrate (LPC) from tannia and plantain leaves and as a component of milk replacer for the orphaned lambs. Fifty kilograms each of tannia and plantain leaves were harvested before grinded and processed into LPC. Each were replicated in twos of 25kg weights and water added at 35% weights equivalent of the products in plastic bowels (50 liters bowel 1)• The extracted juices were precipitated at the temperature of about 800 C with cooking pots, after which the coagulurns were filtered out and further pressed with a hydraulic squeezer to moisture content of about 60-70%, oven-dried and stored in polythene bag for chemical analysis. The LPCs were incorporated at 20% each as component of milk replacer for the nutrition of orphaned lambs. For the toxicity and acceptability feeding trials, six lambs of mixed sexes, age at about 2 weeks were fed the experimental diets at ad i/hit/urn. Faeces and urines were observed at 0, 15th and 30th day of any unhealthy characteristic from normal. On this study, lambs were kept in 3 groups called treatments and fed at 10% of their body weight with about 15% allowance at about 8 am and 4 pm each day; on a group space of 2.0 m x 8.0 ni anirnaF1 . The treatments are: A --- 2 lambs with the ewes and without milk replacer, B --- 2 lambs fed with 20% tannia LPC as component of milk replacer, xi .4 C --- 2 lambs fed with 20% plantain LPC as component of milk replacer. The results of the chemical analysis of the LPC tannia and plantain leaves revealed great improvement generally at 5% significant. The results as observed on the LPC protein values from tannia (33.10%) was higher than that of plantain (15.30°A) showed improvement (p<0.05) on protein, fiber, carbohydrates, gross energy and fats, but revealed non-significant (p >0.05) on ash. The residues of LPC protein of tannia (19.40%) was higher than that of plantain (6.80%) and significant at 5%. While those of ash showed non-significant (p>O.05) with tannia (10.50%) as noted in this study. The residue of LPC soluble carbohydrate was found significant