摘要：The nutritional potential of moist and dry heat treated Tetracarpidium conophorum nut was evaluated using male albino rats (45-55 g). Twenty-four (18) weanling rats were divided into three groups of six rats each on the basis of body weight. These rats were fed for thirty-five (35) days. Caesin (CAS), Boiled T. conophorum (BTC) and Roasted T. conophorum (RTC) were fed these three (3) groups of rats respectively. All chemicals and statistical analysis were based on modern techniques. In vivo bioassay revealed that growth food and nitrogen intakes and Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) were higher in rats fed the RTC diet than in rats fed the BTC diet. However, rats fed the BTC diet gained more weight than those fed the RTC diet. The rats fed the RTC diet had higher food and nitrogen intakes, faecal digested and retained nitrogen, Biological Value (BV) and Net Protein Utilization (NPU) than rats fed the BTC diet. Rats fed the test diets-RTC and BTC- had more than 95% N intake, digested and retained nitrogen. The results indicate that dry- heat treatment improved Nitrogen availability in T. conophorum than moist-heat.
