Assessment of Nutritional Composition and Antioxidant Properties of Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants and Crassocephalum crepidioides Leaf Meal as Potential Feed Additives

This study analyzed the proximate, minerals, phytochemical profiles and antioxidant capacity of Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants and Crassocephalum crepidioides (Benth.) S.Moore leaf meals as potential feed additives. The result of the proximate analysis revealed that C. crepidioides contained higher moisture (6.66%), ash (21.04%), crude fibre (3.85%), crude fat (5.41%), crude protein (17.11%) contents and lower carbohydrate content (45.60%) than D. ambrosioide leaf powder which had 6.31% moisture, 13.69% ash, 3.09% crude fibre, 4.48% crude fat, 15.99% crude protein and 56.12% carbohydrate. The result of the mineral analysis showed that D. ambrosioides contained higher concentration of sodium (19.8ppm), potassium (51.05ppm), calcium (29.18ppm), magnesium (24.1ppm), iron (0.42ppm) manganese (0.33ppm) and zinc (0.91ppm) compared to C. crepidioides leaf meal at sodium (18.71ppm), potassium (41.87ppm), calcium (25.77ppm), magnesium (20.34ppm), iron (0.28ppm) manganese (0.13ppm) and zinc (0.36ppm). The result of the phytochemical analysis revealed that aqueous extract of C. crepidoides possessed higher total phenolic (13.34 mgGAE/g) and flavonoid (2.29 mgrutin/g)) contents than that of D. ambrosioides at (13.07 mgGAE/g) and (1.62 mgrutin/g) respectively. The Tannin and phytate contents were significantly higher in D. ambrosioides leaf meal at 2.39mg/g and 40.28 mg/g respectively, compared to that of C. crepidioides at 2.12mg/g and 29.4mg/g, respectively. The aqueous extract of D. ambrosioides exhibited higher that antioxidant free radical scavenging activity (24.83%) than that of C. crepidioides (16.42%). In conclusion, this study has shown that these two vegetables contained nutrients and antioxidant and could be used as alternative feed additives in animal nutrition.