I.INTRODUCTION Plants produce a series of anti-nutritional components as secondary metabolites. These compounds are useful to these plants in defense mechanisms although they diminish the nutritional qualities of plants. But the anti-nutritional factors are found to have effect on gastrointestinal tract and affect the microflora count of the intestine by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria's. Antinutritional factors are chemical compounds synthesized within natural food or feedstuffs by the normal metabolism of species and by different mechanisms.Such chemical compounds, are frequently, but not exclusively associated with foods and feeding stuffs of plant origin. These anti-nutritional factors are also known as 'secondary metabolites' in plants. They are biologically active. These secondary metabolites are secondary compound produced as side products of processes leading to the synthesis of primary metabolites. One of the major factor limiting the wider food utilization of many tropical plants is, the ubiquitous occurrence in them of a diverse range of natural compounds capable of precipitating deleterious effects in man, and animals compound which act to reduce nutrient utilization and/or food intake are often referred to as anti-nutritional factors, (Shanthakumari et al.,2008).Antinutrients are chemicals evolved by plants for their own defense. Among other biological functions, it reduce the maximum utilization of nutrients especially proteins, vitamins, and minerals, thus preventing optimal exploitation of the nutrients present in a food and decreasing the nutritive value. Some chemicals have been shown to be deleterious to health or evidently advantageous to human and animal health if consumed at appropriate amounts, (Ugwu et al.,2006).To avoid predation, sedentary species (plants, fungi and bacteria) synthesize a range of low and high molecular weight compounds. These secondary metabolites play a role in defense against herbivorous, insects, pathogens or adverse growing conditions, (Harbourne 1983)
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