Aim: To explore the nutrients, minerals, beta-carotene and total carotenoid contents of five sweet potato varieties viz., Agric orange flesh, Agric white, Red skin, Orange flesh and T.U. purple. Study Design: The sweet potato vines at six week stage were cut into 1.2m each and transplanted in parallel lines on the same 1.2m x 2.6m bed, spaced about 0.52m from each other in Dukumah Garden. There were five such beds and vine cuttings transplanted in the same order on each bed. Study Site: The study, which took four months, was conducted in the Dukumah Garden in Bolgatanga Municipality (10.7875° N, 0.8580° W) of the Upper East Region of Ghana. Methodology: The sweet potatoes were harvested four months after transplanting on the same day. Samples of the various varieties were collected, parcelled, appropriately labelled and handdelivered to the Food Chemistry Laboratory of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology for the analysis of proximate analysis (%), total carotenoids and beta-carotene concentrations in mg/g and concentrations of the minerals, namely magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) in mg/kg. Results: All the five varieties of sweet potato were found to be nutritious. Protein content ranged from 3.82% in Agric white variety to 0.11% in Agric orange flesh. Fat content ranged from 4.84% in orange flesh variety to 1.74% in red skin. Crude fibre content was between 1.77% in Agric orange flesh and 0.10% in T.U. purple. Total carbohydrate varied from 23.2% in Agric orange flesh variety to 15.8% in Agric white one. Moisture was high in all the varieties, ranging from 75.78% in Agric white variety to 71.04% in Orange flesh one. The Orange flesh variety had the highest ash content of 1.56%. All the varieties contained high concentrations of Mg but low concentrations of Na and K. The highest concentration of Ca (8250.70±0.06 mg/kg) was recorded in T.U. purple. The concentrations of Fe in the sweet potato varieties decreased in the following order: T.U. purple>Red skin>Orange flesh>Agric orange flesh>Agric white. The highest (123.12±0.00 mg/kg) and the lowest (33.10±0.00 mg/kg) Zn concentration were recorded in the orange flesh Agric white varieties, respectively. The concentration of beta-carotene (mg/kg) in five sweet potato varieties was in the following order: Agric orange flesh<

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Purpose: The work evaluated the nutritive value of dried rumen digesta (DRD) from cattle (CRD), sheep (SRD) and goat (GRD) in Bolgatanga Abattoir, Ghana.Methodology: Rumen digesta (RD) was collected from twenty-seven (27)) animals, nine each from cattle, sheep and goat at the Bolgatanga Municipal Abattoir and sundried for 4 days. Proximate analysis, cell wall component and metabolizable energy were estimated after which the data was subjected to analysis of variance for statistical difference at 0.05% level.Findings: Result obtained showed significant differences (P< 0.05) in proximate compositions. Goat Rumen Digesta (GRD) had highest organic matter (90.81%), Crude protein (12.17%) and metabolizable energy (ME) (374.24 Kca/100g) compared to the other experimental digesta from cattle. The Neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and cellulose were not significantly different across the rumen digesta obtained from the species of animals.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The values for organic matter and crude compositions obtained from the Sun-dried rumen digesta from cattle, sheep and goat indicated the ability of rumen digesta to provide the nutrients particularly protein required by animals for normal physiological activities. Farmers can process the digesta and include it in livestock feeds.

Aim: To determine the nutrients, minerals and phytochemicals contained in leaves of five sweet potato varieties. Study Design: The study was carried out in the dry season from November 2018 to March 2019, using a randomized complete block design (RCBD).During planting, 10 cm length of each 30 cm long soft wood vine cutting was inserted into the soil and immediately watered. A space of 60cm was left between the plants and there were five vine cuttings planted per ridge. The order of planting the vine cuttings was the same on each replicate ridge. Each treatment had three replications with each replicate having five plants to give a total of75 vine cuttings in all. Leaves of the sweet potato varieties; Agric white (AW), Agric orange flesh (AO), Red skin (RS), Orange flesh (OF) and Red local (RL) were parceled; each variety in a separate parcel, appropriately labelled and sent to the Food Science Laboratory of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, for analysis. Study Site: The sweet potatoes were cultivated in the experimental field of Ecological Agriculture Department, Bolgatanga Technical Universityin Bolgatanga Municipality of Upper East Region, Ghana. Methodology: Proximate analysis was done and nutrient content expressed in percentages (%). Concentrations of the minerals iron (Fe), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and magnesium in milligrams per kilogram (Mg/Kg) were determined. Total phenolic content (TPC) as well as the concentrations of carotenoids and Flavonoids were also estimated and expressed in Mg/Kg. Antioxidant properties of the leaves was determined and reported in mg/Kg. Results: Proximate analysis of the leaves show that all five sweet potato varieties are very nutritious. Leaves of AW variety recorded the highest protein (6.17± 0.43%) and carbohydrates (8.61 ± 0.32%). The content of crude fibre is generally high in leaves of all varieties, ranging from1.42 ± 0.50% in AO to 2.42 ± 0.18% in OF. The proportion of fat in all the varieties is similar, averaging 2,096 ± 0.046%, with the highest of 2.25 ± 0.06% in AO. The two orange flesh varieties, OF and AO, had the highest and higher concentrations of iron (Fe) of 2,020.41 and 467.11 mg/Kg respectively. Magnesium (Mg) is the element that occurred in highest concentration of all the minerals, with an average concentration of 7,991.02 mg/Kg. The OF variety contained the highest concentration of total phenol of 875.00 ± 95.86 mg/Kg. With an average of 4,915.00 ± 166.00 mg/Kg, the concentration of flavonoids in all five varieties in the current study is similar. The concentration of total carotene decreased in the order RL>RS>AW>AO>OF, with the RL variety containing 124.22 ± 10.00 mg/Kg while the OF one possessed 49.39 ± 2.00 mg/Kg. The content pattern of beta carotene was RL> RS> AW> OF> AO, with RL variety containing 4.56 ± .03mg/Kg as AO had 1.57 ± 0.53 mg/Kg. The capacity of phytochemicals in the sweet potato varieties to scavenge and inhibit free radicals as well as reactive oxygen species [using the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) assay] was highest in the OF variety (51.073%). Conclusion: Leaves of the five sweet potato varieties studied are rich in diverse nutrients and phytochemicals. Therefore, encouraging the growth and consumption of both leaves and root tubers is a cheaper means of reducing malnutrition and enhancing good public health. It is therefore, essential for more investigations to establish the nutrient content and nutrachemical capabilities of both roots and leaves of the different varieties of sweet potato in the different environments so as to equip the general public with appropriate information to guide dieting choices.