Abstract:
Studies were carried out to understand the reasons of the reported toxicity of
Prosopis juliflora pods and leaves to livestock in Baringo, Kenya. Pods and leaves
were extracted with acetone, dichloromethane, water and toluene/ethanol separately
using soxhlet method (10-12 cycles per hour for 12 hours) to evaluate % crude
extracts. Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), Fourier- Transform
Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), 1H NMR(Proton nuclear magnetic resonance) analysis
of crude extracts, NIST(National Institute of Standards and Technology) library and
literature information indicated that P.Juliflora pods contain upto 6.3%
unsaturated fatty acids such as hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, palmitic acid,
dehydroabietic acid, oxyhydroabietic acid, free sugars such as sucrose and glucose,
mannose, galactomanans and traces of aromatic compounds. Extracts from the
leaves of P. juliflora contain upto 8.5% alkaloids such as tryptamine,
piperidine,phenethylamine and juliprosopine described in literature as having
antifungal and plant growth inhibiting properties as well as capable of inducing
neuronal damages in animals. GC-MS analysis further indicates the presence of an
important quantity of fatty acids such as hexadecanoic and octadecanoic acids,
glucopyranose, hydroquinone, glucopyranosides and galactose sugar in leaves
extractives. Such amount and diverse chemical products in edible parts of one plant
species may work in a synergistic manner in ruminants and livestock to induce the
reported toxicity.
