Report and Opinion 2019;11(7) http://www.sciencepub.net/report ROJ 36 Effects Of Boiling And Sun-Drying On The Chemical Composition Of Waltheria indica L. Leaves Khobe, D., Augustine, C. And Solomon, O. T. Department of Animal Production, Adamawa State University, Mubi, Nigeria Correspondence: Khobe508@gmail.com ; khobe508@adsu.edu.ng 08137459305 Abstract: The effects of boiling and sun-drying on the chemical composition of Waltheria indica leaves (WIL) was evaluated with the main aim of determining the chemical constituents. Freshly harvested WIL were collected from the wild and divided into three batches of 250g each. The first batch was pounded to form WIL paste (T 1 WILP). The second batch was boiled for 30 minutes, drained, properly sundried and milled to form boiled WIL meal (T 2 BWILM). The third batch was properly sundried and milled into sundried WIL meal (T 3 SWILM). The representative samples were analysed in triplicates for their proximate composition, mineral contents and level of their anti-nutritional factors using standard laboratory procedures. The highest nutrient losses such as crude protein (21.13%), ether extract (3.16%) and ash (4.15%) were recorded in the BWILM. Similarly, the highest loss for calcium (20.41%), potassium (38.05%) and phosphorus (80.32%) were observed in the BWILM and other minerals followed similar trend. Boiling was observed to be effective in reducing the levels of anti-nutritional factors with a decrease of 57.69%, 63.86% and 47.92% for glycosides, phenols and tannins, respectively. Similar trend was observed for other anti-nutritional factors. It was concluded that boiling is more effective in reducing the levels of anti-nutritional factors compared to sun-drying, and it is, therefore, recommended for processing of WIL since the nutrient depreciation in the BWILM was not much. [Khobe, D., Augustine, C. And Solomon, O. T. Effects Of Boiling And Sun-Drying On The Chemical Composition Of Waltheria indica L. Leaves. Rep Opinion 2019;11(7):36-39]. ISSN 1553-9873 (print); ISSN 2375-7205 (online). http://www.sciencepub.net/report . 6. doi:10.7537/marsroj110719.06 . Keywords: Waltheria indica, Boiled, Sundried, anti-nutrients, Mineral content Introduction The plant Waltheria indica belongs to the family Sterculiacae. It is wide spread in West Africa (Akobunda and Agyakwa, 1998). Locally, the plant is called “hankufah” or “hankubah” in Hausa, “kafafi” in Fulfulde, “korikodi” in Yoruba and “efu-abe” in Nupe. The uses of the plant are diverse; it is used in Northern Nigeria by the Hausas for the treatment of skin diseases, impotence and infertility, as an aphrodisiac, and as medicine at birth for children and during teething (Mohammed et al., 2007). Most of the developing tropical countries depend on soya beans and other common leguminous grains as protein source for both humans and animals, but their production is not yet sufficient to meet the protein requirement of the increasing and expanding livestock industries. The scarcity and high cost of conventional feed ingredients has led to renewed interest in the use of non-conventional, cheap and readily available ingredients of wild legumes in livestock feeding (Yashim et al., 2009). In view of the above, it has become imperative to exploit the nutritional potentials and the utilization of alternative feed sources. The leaves of Waltheria indica have the potential of being used as an alternative protein source for livestock. It is abundant on rangelands but the use of the leaves as feed ingredient for animals is limited by the presence of anti-nutritional factors such as alkaloids, saponin, tannins, oxalate, phytate, hydrocyanic acid and phytohaemaglutin. However, if detoxified, it may have potential for feeding animals. Furthermore, if precise information on its chemical composition and utilization is known, it can be used in feeding livestock without any nutritional errors. Existing reports revealed that W. indica has been reported to have the following activities: analgesic, anti- inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti- diarrhoeal, anti-malarial, antiviral, anti-convulsant, anti-anaemic and anti-oxidant activities (Zongo et al., 2014). Many indigenous tropical legume weeds are under-utilized because little has been done to explore their utilization as feed ingredients for livestock. An under-exploited plant worth exploring as non- conventional feed source is Waltheria indica. There is a need to determine the suitability W. indica of its leaves as feed resource for livestock. However, before recommending such plant as feedstuff, the nutritional properties of the processed leaves must be thoroughly investigated. In view of this, the recent study was conducted to determine the effects of processing methods on the chemical composition of Waltheria indica leaves. Materials And Methods Study Location Mubi Local Government of Adamawa State is located between latitudes 9 o 30 ¹ and 11 o North of the