Agricultural Wastes 12 (1985) 235-239

Short Communication

Carotene and Tocopherol in Agro-industrial By-products and Wastes of the Tropics

A BS TRA C T

Of the samples studied to date, only dried carrot wastes and tomato pomace have been found to contain an appreciable amount of carotene and these couM be included as natural, rich sources of carotene in a balanced compounded feed.

Overall, rice bran contained the maximum concentration of tocopherol and this might be used as a cheap supplement in vitamin E deficient rations compounded for jarm animals.

INTRODUCTION

At present there is no published information on the contents of carotene and tocopherol in agro-industrial by-products and wastes of the tropics which may be used for formulating balanced rations for livestock. Because of the importance of carotene and tocopherol in livestock nutrition, the present investigation was undertaken to analyse these constituents in the commonly fed agro-industrial by-products and wastes of the tropics.

METHODS

Fifty-seven samples of important agro-industrial by-products and wastes (which are commonly used in the feeding of farm animals in India) were collected in triplicate from different parts of the country. These samples

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T A B L E 1 Carotene and Tocopherol Contents of agro-industrial By-products and Wastes

Local name Botanical name Carotene Tocopherol (ppm on a dr)' matter basis)

1. Cereal and pulse by-products Barley bran Hordeum culgare 3-38 Barley husk Hordeum rulgare 0"68 323 Hominy feed Zea mays 9.48 3'29 Maize gluten meal Zea mays 3.85 8"26 Maize grit Zea mays 5.67 7.99 Maize husk (wet) Zea mays 0-26 10.14 Rice bran Oryza satita 0-57 76.49 Rice husk Oryza satit'a 0.11 10-14 Wheat flour Triticum aestit'um 0.08 6.76 Wheat bran Triticum aestivum 0-57 20"08 Pigeon pea chuni Cajanus cajan 0.56 12.94 Pigeon pea husk Cajanus cajan 0.38 4.13 Chick pea chuni Cicer arietinum 1.05 3.99 Chick pea husk Cicer arietinum 0"35 6.70 Cluster bean meal Cyamopsis

(toasted) tetragonoloba 0.57 1 . 4 2 Cluster bean meal Cyamopsis

(non-toasted) tetragonoloba 1 '28 3.20 Lentil chuni Les esculenta -- 8.26 Green gram chuni Phaseolus aureus 0-37 5"50 Field pea chuni Pisum satirum 0'38 17.27 Field pea husk Pisum satit'um 1.26 3.38 Black gram chuni Phaseolus mungo L. 0.38 5-94

2. Distillery by-products Brewers grain Hordeum eulgare 0.57 16.36 Malt Hordeum vulgare 0'64 4.88 Malt sprout with hulls Hordeum t, ulgare 0.57 4"20

3. Oil-seed by-products Cotton seed cake

(undecorticated) Gossypium hirsutum 0.11 3.38 Gingelly cake Sesamum indicum 0-43 3.38 Groundnut cake

(decorticated) Arachis hypogaea 0.38 19.15 Mahua cake

(solvent extracted) Madhuca latiJblia 0.14 4.88 Mustard cake

(Ghani) Brassica compestris 0.53 4.88 Margosa cake

(solvent extracted) Azadirachta indica 0"28 - - Rice bran

(deoiled cake) Oryza sativa 1.28 9.81 Rocket seed cake Eruca satiL'a 0-38 - -

Carotene and tocopherol in agro-industrial by-products and wastes

TABLE l--contd.

237

Local name Botanical name Carotene Tocopherol (ppm on a dry matter basis)

4. Sugar industry by-products Sugar cane bagasse Saccharus oJficinarurn 0.26 38.31 Sugarbeet pulp Beta rulgaris 0.26 6.76

5. Textile industry wastes Cotton husk Gossypium sp. 0.26 5-82 Cotton ginning trash Gossypium sp. 053 3.38 Cotton ginning

trash dust Gossypium sp. 0.64 3.38 Dust-free cotton Goso'pium sp. 0.69 4'42

6, Vegetable and Jruit industry by-products Carrot (fresh) Daucus carota 664 17.25 Carrot waste

(dried) Daucus carota 45.45 11.08 Dehydrated field

pea waste Pisum satirum 5.27 4"88 Grape residue

(winery pomace) Vitis rini[era L. 1.35 4-88 Potato waste Solanum tuberosum 0,32 6.76 Tomato peels Lycopersicon

(fresh) esculentum 131 48"00 Tomato pomace Lycopersicon

(dried) esculentum 30.64 7.50

7. Vegetable crop residues (oren dried) Bitter gourd

leaves Cauliflower leaves Carrot tops Egg planl leaves Hyacinth bean

leaves Okra plant residue Potato haulm Radish leaves Spinach leaves Tomato leaves

Poultry faeces (dried)

Poultry litter

Momordica charantia 28.64 45.36 Brassica oh'racea 7.27 44-47 Daucus carota 1.85 28.46 Solanum melongena 3.73 25"82

Dolichos lablab 11 54 24-01 Hibiscus esculentus 9.40 42.34 Solanum tuberosum 2.56 21-05 Raphanus satirus 5.84 86'28 Spinacea oleracea 1,85 5"88 Lycopersicon

esculentum 2.56 24.02

8. Miscellaneous

1-26 4.69 0.38 12-02

238 Gopal Krishna

were pulverised and sieved through a 100 mesh sieve and stored in sealed containers. Each sample was analysed in triplicate for carotene and tocopherol contents using alumina column chromatography (Astrup et al., 1971). Before starting the actual assay, the recovery of pure carotene and tocopherol through the alumina column was tested with graded levels of standards (Sigma). As usual, a standard curve was calibrated with different concentrations of pure carotene and tocopherol (Sigma), so as to establish factors for the calculation of results.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The recovery of pure standard carotene and tocopherol (Sigma) through the alumina column was approximately 99.8 ~ . The data relating to the concentration of carotene and tocopherol in the samples of agro- industrial by-products and wastes are presented in Table 1. Of the cereal and pulse by-products studied so far, hominy feed contained the maximum concentration of carotene, 9.48 ppm, which agrees with the reported value of 10 ppm (G6hl, 1975). Hominy feed seems to be rich in carotene compared with yellow maize which contains only 1-5 to 2.6 ppm (Aitken & Hankin, 1970). Of all the usable samples studied so far, dried carrot waste and tomato pomace contained the maximum con- centrations; 45.45 and 30.64ppm carotene, respectively.

In general, rice bran contained the maximum concentration of tocopherol, 76.49 ppm. This is rather higher than the reported value of 60.8 ppm (Allen, 1979). Therefore, it would be advisable to use rice bran in vitamin E deficient diets, since this commodity is cheap and available in abundance in India.

REFERENCES

Aitken, F. C. & Hankin, R. G. (1970). Vitamins in jeeds Jor livestock. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau, Farnham Royal, Bucks, Great Britain.

Allen, R. D. (1979). Feedstuffs ingredient analysis Table. PO Box 63, Brentwood Bay, BC, Canada.

Carotene and tocopherol in agro-industrial by-products and wastes 239

Astrup, H. N., Halvorsen, E. S., Lindstad, P., Entwistle, Yvonne & Mathers, J. C. (1971). A quick method for the simultaneous assay of tocopherol, carotene and plant pigments inpasture. Bulletin No. 373, Institute of Animal Nutrition, Agricultural University of Norway.

G6hl, Bo. (1975). Tropical feeds--Feeds information summaries and nutritive values, Feeds Information Centre, Animal Production and Health Division, FAO, Rome.

Gopal Krishna* Department of Animal Nutrition, Haryana Agricultural University, Hissar (125004), Haryana, India

* Present address: Institute fiir Tierphysiologie und Tierern/ihrung, Der Universit~it G6ttingen, Oscar Kellner Weg., 6, 3400 G6ttingen- Weende, West Germany.