Introduction : The high cost, inconsistent availability, and varying quality of fishmeal has prompted research efforts towards the evaluation and utilization of non-conventional sources of plant protein sources such as M. oleifera seed. However, plant protein sources were reported to have some limiting factors such as crude fiber and anti-nutritional factors (Alegbeleye, 2005), and these are known to interfere with nutrients use, fish health, and other harmful effects (Akande and Fabiyi, 2010). Different processing methods result in the decrease of anti-nutritional factors ensuring improved growth performance in fish (Francis et al. , 2006).
Methodology: Four processing methods involving toasting at 10, 20 and 30mins, boiling at 30, 60 and 90mins, soaking at 8, 16 and 24 hours and combination of boiling (30, 60 and 90 minutes) and soaking for 72 hours were employed before and after oil extraction before and after oil extraction.. Four processing methods involving toasting at 10, 20 and 30mins, boiling at 30, 60 and 90mins, soaking at 8, 16 and 24 hours and combination of boiling (30, 60 and 90 minutes) and soaking for 72 hours were employed.
Results: The results for raw and processed seed meal before oil extraction showed that the three toasting treatments significantly increased the crude protein content while revealing a significant (p<0.05) increase in the crude protein (55.05±0.17) and ash (6.01±0.10) contents of the processed seed meal and significantly (p<0.05) lower fat (9.39±0.11), moisture (1.50±0.07) and crude fibre (3.93±0.05) contents after oil extraction. The anti-nutritional factors detected in the raw moringa seeds were (Oxalate, saponins, alkaloids, phytic acid, tannin, cyanide and phytate) with the following contents; 0.86±0.13, 1.50±0.06, 2.32±0.06, 269.84±1.62, 1.21±0.14, 0.56±0.04 and 69.82±0.86, respectively.
Discussion and Conclusion: Combination of boiling and soaking treatments (B30mins/S72hrs, B60mins/S72 hrs, B90mins/S72hrs) significantly (p<0.05) reduced the anti-nutritional factors to acceptable levels . However, displacement of oil after extraction greatly enhanced the crude protein level of the treated (B90mins/S72hrs) seed. It could be concluded that this processing method coupled with oil extraction could effectively improve on the crude protein content of the seed.