Proximate and Mineral Analyses of the Hawk Moth Larvae (Agrius Convolvuli L.) Harvested in Mogonono, Kweneng District, Botswana
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ISSN: 2319-8753 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology (An ISO 3297: 2007 Certified Organization) Vol. 2, Issue 9, September 2013 Proximate and Mineral Analyses of the Hawk Moth Larvae (Agrius convolvuli L.) Harvested in Mogonono, Kweneng District, Botswana Bamphitlhi Tiroesele1, Batsile R. Seletlo2, John C. Moreki3 Lecturer, 1Department of Crop Science and Production, Botswana College of Agriculture, Gaborone, Botswana BSc. Student, 2Department of Crop Science and Production, Botswana College of Agriculture, Gaborone, Botswana Lecturer, 3Department of Animal Science and Production, Botswana College of Agriculture, Gaborone, Botswana Abstract:The study determined the proximate composition of Hawk moth larvae (Agrius convolvuli L.) harvested in Mogonono village in Kweneng District of Botswana. Dry salted Hawk moth larvae (monakamongwe in Setswana) were obtained in Mogonono, about 15 km north-east of Molepolole. The standard procedures of AOAC (1995) were followed to analyze the proximate composition and mineral analysis. The Iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), copper (Cu) manganese (Mn) and sodium (Na) were determined. Proximate analysis showed that the Hawk moth larvae contained 17% ash, 58.5% crude protein, 25.1% crude fat, 9.0% crude fibre and 5.6% moisture. The mineral analysis showed that Hawk moth larvae contained 185.6 mg/kg ± 7.09 Fe, 67.4 mg/kg ± 8.87 Zn, 12.6 mg/kg ± 0.71 Cu, 18.4 mg/kg ± 0.96 Mn, 0.14% ± 0.01 Ca, 1.4% ± 0.09 Na and 1.20% ± 0.07 P. The current results showed that hawk moth larvae have nutritional benefits making it an alternative protein source in livestock and human diets. Keywords:Hawk moth, mineral analysis, Mogonono, nutritional value, proximate analysis I. INTRODUCTION The world population is increasing at a higher rate, implying that the food production and supply should grow at a similar rate if not faster. Therefore, it is important that cheaper sources of protein and other nutrients be established. This could be obtained from the plant materials in abundance [1] or from animals. Insects in nature constitute a significant biomass. They are mostly primary consumers and due to their high rate of reproduction, they tend to dominate all the sources of energy because of competitive exclusion [2]. The many benefits that insects offer us are often overlooked and underestimated such as their use in human and animal nutrition, in medicine, as well as in recycling of organic matter [3]. The chemical composition and nutritional value of some insects have been extensively investigated in various parts of the world [4], [5], [6]. Reference [7] reported that due to insects’ high nutritional value and ubiquitous presence, they are a potential sustainable food resource in animal nutrition. Insects have played an important role in nutrition, especially in areas where human and domestic animal populations were subjected to chronic protein deficiency [6],[8], [9]. Several research works have been done and these established a foundation of using insects as a source of protein in animal nutrition. In Botswana, some insects such as the termites, ants, hawk moth larvae and others, are often picked by chickens. The Hawk moth, Agrius convolvuli L. larva (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae) is commonly known as monakamongwe in Botswana [7]. The name monakamongwe is derived from the short upright horn [7] at the end of the abdomen. The authors stated that A. convolvuli larva which is available during the rainy season (i.e., October to January) derives its nutrition from leaves of creeping plants. The larva is also eaten by humans as a snack or side dish in Botswana. Copyright to IJIRSET www.ijirset.com 4926 ISSN: 2319-8753 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology (An ISO 3297: 2007 Certified Organization) Vol. 2, Issue 9, September 2013 There is limited information on the nutritional value of insects in Botswana. There is a need to explore more available insects for their use in human and animal nutrition. The objective of this study is to investigate the proximate and minerals composition of the hawk moth (Agrius convolvuli L.) larvae. II. MATERIALS AND METHODS A. Experiment Location The laboratory analysis was carried out at the Botswana College of Agriculture which is located 10 km away from the capital city, Gaborone. Samples of hawk moth larvae were collected from Mogonono for its proximate composition and mineral analysis to evaluate its nutritive value. B. Experimental Procedure The samples of degutted and sun-dried hawk moth larvae were collected from a local farmer in Mogonono. Degutting and sun-drying is a process of preservation of these insects. The samples upon arrival at the laboratory were kept at room temperature until the commencement of the experiment. The samples were again dried in an oven at 60- 70 °C for two days to determine the moisture content before further analysis. After drying, mortar and pestle were used for hand grinding 500 g of the hawk moth larvae samples to a powder form. All the larvae were ground together into one sample which was then divided into three portions to represent three replications for analyses. After grinding the samples, they were prepared for proximate and mineral analysis. Proximate analysis was performed to determine moisture, protein, fat, ash, and fibre according to methods of AOAC [10]. Mineral contents of the hawk moth larvae were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy according to the methods of AOAC [10]. C. Proximate and Mineral Analysis i. Determination of moisture content The ground samples were weighed and placed in an oven and heated at a constant temperature of 65 0C for 2 days. This removes the water, so loss in weight represents the water and the remaining portion is the dry matter. Drying in an oven at 60-70 0C is quite satisfactory for materials that are characteristically fibrous and starchy in nature. After drying was completed, the samples were removed from the oven and placed into a desiccator to cool to room temperature and weighed afterwards. Moisture free samples were then used for further analysis. Dry matter content was calculated using the formula below: ii. Crude protein analysis Crude protein was analyzed using the kjeldahl method. Half a gram of dried ground sample was weighed on an analytical balance into a kjeldahl digestion flask. One gram of a catalyst mixture (Na2SO4 mixed with anhydrous CuSO4 in a ratio of 10:1) was added. Five milliliters of concentrated H2SO4was also added. The digestion flasks were then placed in the digester and the temperature was set at 3500C for 2 hours. Digestion converts any organic nitrogen compounds in the sample into ammonia and other organic matter to CO2 and H2O. After 2 hours of digestion, the flasks were then removed and allowed to cool. When cooling was complete the content in the flask was diluted by distilled water and a concentrated NaOH (40%) added to neutralize the acid and to make the solution slightly alkaline. The amino was then distillated into receiving flasks that consisted of a standardized strong acid (0.1N H2SO4) for reaction with ammonia. The excess acid was then back titrated with standard NaOH. Nitrogen % was then calculated as follows: The % of nitrogen was then converted to % of protein by using the conversion factor 6.25. %Protein = %Nitrogen × 6.25 Copyright to IJIRSET www.ijirset.com 4927 ISSN: 2319-8753 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology (An ISO 3297: 2007 Certified Organization) Vol. 2, Issue 9, September 2013 iii. Ash analysis After the determination of the moisture content the same sample was place into porcelain dishes and then taken into the furnace at temperature of 550 0C for 4hours. The water, protein, fat and carbohydrates are completely removed by this process. When four hours elapsed the dishes were removed and cooled in a desiccator. The ash was then calculated as: iv. Determination of Crude fibre The sample was digested with boiled H2SO4 (1.25%), then vacuum filtered and washed. The ceramic fibre was used as the filtration aid and fritted glass crucible for drying and ignition purposes. Subsequently the same sample was digested again by boiling with dilute alkali (1.25% NaOH) vacuum filtered, washed and dried. The dried residue was ignited and crude fibre was estimated as the loss in mass on ignition of the dried residue. v. Fat analysis The lipid in fraction of a food is insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents such as diethyl ether, petroleum spirit or a mixture of chloroform and methanol. In this analysis the total lipid content of our sample was determined gravimetrically by extraction in diethyl ether for 40 minutes at a temperature of 90 0C. When the extraction process was complete the samples were then put in an oven at a temperature of 70 0C for 30 minutes. After that the samples were then cooled at room temperature in a desiccator and weighed. The % crude fat was then calculated as below: vi. Mineral analysis Half a gram of dried sample and 5 ml of concentrated nitric acid was added to a 50 ml folin digestion tube to prepare the samples for digestion. The samples mixtures were then digested by heating at 350 0C for 8 hours and then treated with hydrogen peroxide for 2 hours. This was then left to cool for 1 hour. After cooling, the samples were then prepared for analysis by putting them into 50 ml volumetric flasks and then diluted to the 50 ml mark. concentrations of Ca, P, Na, K, Mg and Fe were determined at specific wavelengths for each element by an Inductively Coupled Plasma- Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) using a Thermo Jarrell Ash IRIS instrument (Thermo Jarrell Ash Corporation, Franklin, MA).