Influence de divers traitements physico-chimiques de graines de Mucuna pruriens sur leur composition chimique en nutriments

Influence of Various Physicochemical Treatments of Mucuna pruriens Seeds on the Nutrient Chemical Composition. Mucuna pruriens is being intensively used to fight off couch grass Imperata cylindrica and restore washed out lithosol fertility, in most of the agro ecological zones of Benin. From the huge amount of grains harvested, only a small part is used as seeds. This study was made to determine the effects of different ways of processing Mucuna pruriens var. utilis and M. pruriens var. cochichennensis grains on the toxic factor contents such as L-dopa and other antinutritionnal factors. Of the different physical and chemical treatment tested, grilling remarkably increased the potential nutritional content while boiling gave lower nutrient values. While awaiting assessment of the residual L-dopa level, the following treatment could be advised : after a preliminary soaking of the grains in cold water during 24 hours, they were dehulled and grilled for one hour. That procedure offered higher dry matter, higher crude protein and higher nitrogen-free extract in the preparations. The chemical contents of the two cultivars are not identical but dry matter and phosphorus contents are comparable