NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF SOME COMMERCIAL COWPEA CULTIVARS INFECTED WITH TWO UNRELATED VIRUSES

ABSTRACT Virus infections have been reported on cultivated cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) in Nigeria. In this study, the effect of Blackeye cowpea mosaic virus and Cowpea mottle virus infections on five commercial cowpea cultivars commonly grown in Mokwa, Southern Guinea Savannah (“Dan Zaria”, “Jan Wake”, “Dutsin Ma” and “Sobo’) and one cultivar from IITA (IT90K-277-2) with their healthy counterparts (as controls) i.e. (uninfected) were analysed on their nutritional quality at the Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University Dutasin Ma, Nigeria. The effect of the various virus infections on the protein, fat, moisture and ash contents of the cowpea seed samples were determined. All infected cowpea seeds resulted in lower protein content of 24.8-28.9 % compared with the 28.5-30.4 % protein in seeds from the control (healthy seeds). Generally, the commercial cowpea cultivars were more severely affected by the virus treatments, they gave the least protein content (24.8-27.1%). The carbohydrate, fat and moisture contents of these seeds (infected) were however slightly higher than those of the control seeds while the ash contents were lower. These results indicate that infection have devastating effects not only on the growth and yield of cowpea, the nutritional quality of the crop is also impaired.