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ABSTRACT
The botany and economic value of the baobab tree, Andasonia digitata, and its seeds were reviewed. The potential nutritional value of the seeds was assessed using growing wistar rats. In bioassay trials, the nutritive value of baobab seed meal was compared with soybean mean meal. The twenty rats used were randomly divided into 5 equal treatment groups of 4 rats per treatment and kept in individual metabolism cages and fed 10% crude protein diet consisting either baobab seed meal or soybean meal or their combination. Performance indices indicated that BSM was well tolerated by the rats but had negative PER and FCE values which were significantly lower than SBM. The BV value was correspondingly low, with weight loss at the end of trial. Diet containing a combination of BSM and SBM showed superior performance indices in comparison with diets based on either SBM or BSM as sole protein source. It is recommended that baobab seed be exploited as a protein supplement in compound animal feed.
