Summary
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is a popular legume crop farmed primarily in Africa and used for human and livestock diets all over the world. Despite this, little study has been done on it, and it is the least used pulse crop in comparison to others. Therefore, the goal of this thorough paper was to provide insight and synthesis into the dietary and phenolic status of cowpeas, as well as their impact on human and animal diets. In addition, protein, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, dietary fibers, minerals, and vitamins are abundant in cowpea seeds, leaves, and green pods. Cowpea is a water deficiency tolerant crop that could be used as food for humans and feed for livestock with the bulk of their macro and micronutrients. It also contains anti-nutritional elements that could be inconve
Regional applicability
Cowpea is not a primary UK crop, but the findings on nutritional composition and processing methods are transferable to UK-based animal feeding and human dietary applications. The crop's drought tolerance may have increasing relevance under projected UK climate conditions, and the review's evidence on nitrogen fixation supports UK interest in legume-based regenerative farming and reduced synthetic fertiliser dependency.
Key measures
Protein, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, dietary fibres, minerals; anti-nutritional component concentrations; maximum dietary inclusion rates for ruminants (up to 30%) and poultry (up to 15%); nitrogen fixation capacity (up to 80%)
Outcomes reported
The review synthesises evidence on the macro- and micronutrient composition of cowpea seeds, leaves, and green pods, and their suitability for human consumption and livestock feed. It evaluates anti-nutritional factors, processing methods to mitigate them, and safe inclusion rates for different animal classes.
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