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Abstract

Background and Objective The leaves of many tropical plants are habitually given to animals as fodder without adequate knowledge of the nutritional and pharmacological compositions that generate their desirable effects. The objective of this study was to evaluate the phytochemical characteristics of leaf meals of Garcinia kola, Gongronema latifolium and Mucuna pruriens as candidate nutraceuticals in animal production. Materials and Methods They were collected from surrounding farmlands and bushes at Ihiagwa, Owerri west Local Government Area LGA of Imo state, Nigeria. The leaf meals were subjected to physicochemical characterization to determine their bulk density BD, water holding capacity WHC, specific gravity SG, proximate composition, metabolizable energy, fibre fractions, minerals and secondary metabolite concentrations. Results The G. latifolium had higher bulk density than M. pruriens and G. kola, while G. kola had higher water holding capacity WHC value. The G. latifolium yielded highest crude protein, crude fat, total ash and metabolizable energy values, while for crude fiber contents of M. pruriens yielded the highest. Conclusion It is therefore, concluded that G. latifolium, G. kola and M. pruriens are endowed with essential nutrients and bioactive substances.