[01] Okpanachi U., Department of Animal Production, Kogi State University, Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria. [02] Attah S., Department of Animal Production, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. [03] Shaahu D. T., Department of Animal Production, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria.

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the comparative study between the amino acid profile and vitamin of sun-dried red and yellow cashew pulp. Kogi state is one of the largest (if not the largest) cashew producing state in Nigeria. Pulps of both red and yellow cashew were collected from cashew plantations in Anyigba and its environs. These pulps were washed, sliced (without pressing out the juice) and sun-dried using a glass house. Dried cashew pulp was milled and samples of the two varieties were taken to two (2) different laboratories for both amino acid and vitamin analysis. Amino acids analysed include: Lysine, Histidine, Arginine, Aspartic acid, Threonine, Serine, Glutamic acid, Proline, Glycine, Alanine, Cystine, Valine, Methionine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine while vitamins A, B complex, C, D and E were analysed. Results as presented in Tables 1 and 2 for amino acid and vitamins respectively, shows that the red variety of cashew is higher in protein quality, when compared to the yellow variety since the red variety recorded values higher than the yellow variety for all the seventeen (17) amino acids presented. Vitamins A, B, C and E are present in both varieties but vitamin D is not present. Values for vitamins A and C were highly significant (P < 0.01), while values for vitamins B and E were not significant (P > 0.05). It is therefore recommended that the production of the red variety should be encouraged if amino acid profile is to be considered while the yellow should be encouraged if vitamins are to be considered. Agronomist and cashew farmers should give more emphasis to the production of the red variety of cashew since the yellow variety currently dominates cashew production in Nigeria.

Vitamins, Amino Acid Profile, Red Cashew Pulp, Yellow Cashew Pulp, Livestock

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