The study of the nutritive value of Cowpea (Vigna ungiculata L.) legume seed is needed, as this legume is a food source in many developing countries. Whole Cowpea Flour (WCF), Dehulled Defatted Cowpea Flour (DDCF), and Cowpea Protein Isolates (CPI) prepared using Isoelectric method (CPII) and using Micellization method (CPIM) are studied. In proximate analysis, the protein content of WCF, DDCF, CPIA and CPIB was found to be 22.3, 26.7, 750 and 76.0 g/100 g, respectively. Net protein value (NPV) was 17.62 for DDCF. Chemical score was 0.66% for DDCF and 112%, 104% for CPII and CPIM, respectively. The first limiting amino acid was cystine for DDCF and threonine for CPII and CPIM. Methionine was found to be the most concentrated essential amino acid in both CPII and CPIM; values were 27.22 and 30.60 g/16 g N, respectively, while lysine was the most abundant essential amino acid in DDCF (4.28 g/16 g N). Essential amino acids of CPIi and CPIM were 22.99 and 15.78 g/16 g N respectively, higher than FAO/WHO reference.

The present research work aimed to study the effects of 3 nutritional food industry by-products (orange peels, peanut skin peels and pomegranate peel) on regulating blood glucose level. 66 male adult Sprague-Dawely rats weighing 125 ± 5 g each were used. These rats were injected with alloxan for inducing diabetes. The negative control group consisted of rats fed on basal diet, while the positive control group consisted of (3 -11) sub-groups fed on basal diet in addition to 5%, 7.5% and 10% of nutritional food industry by-products. After 4 weeks the effect of the different experimental diets on body weight gain, organs relative weight, blood glucose level, liver functions and kidney functions was recorded for the negative group and all the positive sub-groups. The results revealed that there was non-significant difference between all relative organ weights of liver, kidney and pancreas compared to control negative. Blood glucose level significantly decreased in all sub-groups compared to the control positive group.

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