Traditional and Acacia colei seed-incorporated diets in Maradi, Niger Republic

A survey of dietary habits of 83 male and 35 female volunteers from rural villages around Maradi, southern Niger, revealed that fura and tuwo were basic staples, the former being consumed up to 21 times weekly and the latter about once daily. Local recipes were modified to incorporate a prospective new food, Acacia colei seed flour, at 0, 15 and 25% (w/w) and the resulting diets fed ad libitum to volunteers for three weeks under controlled conditions. Acacia incorporation at 25% increased the crude protein content of most meals and the per capita crude protein intake to 136 g/day, 56% above the control. Lipid intake was similar in the three trial groups. Dietary fibre intake and per capita energy consumption for the 25% acacia diet was 93% and 18% above the control respectively. Daily vitamin consumption was above RDA from all the diets. The results showed that the supplementation of the traditional foods of the people of Maradi with acacia increased the nutritional value of each food.