Amarteifio J.O., Tibe O., Njogu R.M.
Abstract
Bambara groundnut has been classified as an underutilized crop, and described as a complete food. In this study the
dry matter, ash, crude protein, crude fat, neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and acid
detergent lignin (ADL) were determined for nine landraces cultivated in Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland respectively.
The Association of Official Analytical Chemists methods were used for the analysis. The results (g/100 g) obtained
were: dry matter 92.17-94.00, ash 3.57-4.85, crude protein 17.10- 22.94, crude fat 4.90-7.24, ADF 6.53-10.65, NDF
14.10-25.82, and ADL 0.19-3.44. The landraces grown in Botswana had more protein (20.66-22.94) compared with those
grown in Namibia (19.28-20.53) and Swaziland (17.10-19.91) respectively. In contrast, the landraces grown in Swaziland
had higher values for NDF (16.33-25.82) compared with those grown in Namibia (15.80-21.19) and Botswana (14.10-21.71)
respectively. The fat content was overall low which is in line with good nutritional requirements. There were intra
and inter country composition similarities and differences amongst the landraces. The results show that the crop is a
good source of protein and fibre. Its enhanced utilization can positively contribute towards food security.
Key words:
Bambara groundnut, landraces, nutritional composition, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland