SOYA BEAN

The study was conducted to evaluate the performance of weaner rabbits fed diets containing Guinea Grass Leaf Meal (GGLM) as a replacement for soybean meal. The experiment aimed to determine the effects of substituting soybean meal with varying levels of GGLM on growth performance, feed intake, feed conversion efficiency, and protein utilization in weaner rabbits. A total of twenty (20) weaner rabbits of mixed breeds, aged between 6–8 weeks and averaging 820 g in weight, were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments containing 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% GGLM, respectively. Each treatment was replicated thrice with two rabbits per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD). Diet 1 (0%) served as the control with soybean meal as the primary protein source, while soybean meal was progressively replaced with GGLM at 10%, 20%, and 30% in diets 2, 3, and 4 respectively. Data were collected on average initial and final live weight, weekly feed intake, weekly weight gain, weekly protein intake, feed conversion ratio, and protein efficiency ratio. The results indicated that the inclusion of GGLM had significant (p<0.05) effects on the performance parameters of the weaner rabbits. Average final live weight decreased slightly with increasing inclusion of GGLM, ranging from 1628.40 g in the control to 1528.80 g at 30% inclusion, while weekly feed intake and weekly weight gain followed a
similar trend, decreasing as GGLM levels increased. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) improved at moderate inclusion (20%), indicating better feed utilization at that level, while the protein efficiency ratio (PER) was highest at 20% inclusion, suggesting that
rabbits efficiently utilized dietary protein at moderate levels of GGLM replacement. However, at 30% inclusion, performance declined, possibly due to increased fiber content and reduced digestibility of the diet.

The quality of edible oils is a critical factor for consumer health, yet deterioration through hydrolysis and oxidation can lead to rancidity and the formation of toxic compounds. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the quality of commercially available Glycine max (Soya Bean Oil), Elaeis guineensis (Palm Kernel Oil), and Gossypium hirsutum (Cotton Seed Oil) by determining key degradation indices. Oils were extracted from seeds sourced from a local market using the Soxhlet method. The acid value (AV), percentage free fatty acid (%FFA), and peroxide value (PV) were determined in triplicate for each oil sample using standard titrimetric methods (AOCS). The results revealed profound disparities in quality among the oils. Soya Bean Oil exhibited acceptable quality, characterized by a low acid value (3.35 ± 0.03 mg KOH/g), low %FFA (1.68 ± 0.02%), and a moderate peroxide value (13.07 ± 0.92 meq/kg). In stark contrast, Palm Kernel Oil and Cotton Seed Oil were of exceptionally poor quality, displaying extremely high acid values (23.30 ± 3.02 and 26.13 ± 2.75 mg KOH/g, respectively) and alarmingly high peroxide values (99.59 ± 0.80 and 107.49 ± 3.78 meq/kg, respectively). These findings indicate that while the SBO was of acceptable quality, the palm kernel oil and cotton seed oil samples exhibited severe hydrolytic and oxidative rancidity, far exceeding international safety standards and rendering them unsuitable for consumption. This study highlighted a critical public health issue regarding the quality of some oils available in local markets and underscores the urgent need for stricter quality control measures throughout the supply chain to mitigate health risks associated with consuming degraded oils.