[Nutritive value of diets based on tubers and legumes consumed in 3 different proportions]

This study was an attempt to determine the nutritional value of diets based on mixtures of manioc and cowpea flours. The proportions analyzed were 87/13, 70/30 and 50/50, respectively. The effect of supplementing these diets with methionine was also investigated. The nutritional value of the diets was evaluated using as a basis the percentage of utilizable protein. Findings revealed that the protein was best utilized when the percentages of manioc and cowpea flours were 50/50, with significant differences observed among the proportions analyzed. In contrast, no significant differences were observed with methionine supplementation to diets of manioc and cowpea flours mixed in the proportion of 87/13. However, when the proportions were 70/30 and 50/50, the addition of methionine induced significant differences, with the highest protein value in both mixtures. It was also observed that the percentage of utilizable protein increased as the proportions of cowpea in the diets also increased.