Comparability of amino acids composition in leaves of Azolla filiculoides, Moringa oleifera and Dialum guineensis as sources of proteins in food of fish

Abstract

The amino acid compositions of Azolla filiculoides, Moringa oleifera and Dialum guineensis were determined on a dry weight basis. The total amino acids ranged from 50.83-83.01g/100 g crude protein and the essential total percentage of amino acids was 42.16% (A. filiculoides), 45.64% (M. oleifera) and 45.73% (D. guineensis). Acid amino acids (aspartic acid and glutamic acid) were the most concentrated amino acids in the samples while aromatic amino acids were slightly concentrated. In all the amino acids determined, D. guineensis had the most concentrated amino acids than A. filiculoides and M. oleifera. The calculated isoelectric points were 1.7 (A. filiculoides), 1.7 (M. oleifera) and 2.8 (D. guineensis), showing they can all be precipitated at acidic pH. Methionine was the limiting amino acid in A. filiculoides. The amino acid score showed that lysine ranged from 0.44-0.94 (on provisional essential amino acid scoring pattern) translating the quality of the sources of studied proteins. The predicted protein efficiency ratio (2.70-3.81) showed that the quality of protein was high while the essential amino acid index range was 0-1.09. The aim of this work was to compare the composition in amino acids of the samples. A. filiculoides, M. oleifera and D. guineensis can be recommended in the food of fish taking into account their food values but must be employed in limited proportions.