Proximate and Elemental Analysis of Cowpea, Kidney and Sweet Cowpea Beans Sold in Kawo Market, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

Beans are one of the most popular and essential foods in Africa, especially in Nigeria they are highly
recommended for its numerous health benefits and nutritional values. The objective of this paper is to assess the proximate and elemental compositions of three (3) varieties of beans (cowpea, kidney and sweet cowpea beans) marketed in Kawo, Kaduna State, Nigeria using standard procedures and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The results from this study indicated that the highest results obtained for proximate and elemental analysis in the four (4) samples with the exception of fibre in sweet cowpea beans (2.082%), were found to be: moisture (13.250%), protein (21.420%), Lipids (1.025%), ash (4.814%) in kidney beans while in the case of elemental analysis, the highest concentrations (88.0mg/kg) of Zn was found in (Cowpea bean), (52.5mg/kg) of Mg in sweet cowpea, (75.0mg/kg) of Cu in cowpea beans while Fe (99.5mg/kg) and Ca (99.5mg/kg) were found in kidney beans. All the beans samples analyzed for proximate and elemental analysis from Kawo market are highly nutritious, hence good for human and livestock consumption.