Nutritional value of alfalfa

As people learn more and more about alfalfa, its nutritional value and various preservative effects have also been discovered. In addition to helping us treat some diseases, alfalfa also has very high nutritional value, because it not only contains the protein and minerals needed by the human body, but also a variety of trace elements. Now let us take a closer look.

If you want to ensure your health, you need to ensure that your body has the various trace elements and nutrients it needs. Many people choose to take various health products, but in fact, if you can focus on eating these common foods, you can also absorb the nutrients you need.

Alfalfa has high grass yield, good palatability and the highest nutritional value among forage grasses. It is not only rich in important nutrients such as crude protein, minerals (excluding phytic acid phosphorus) and vitamins, but also contains essential amino acids, trace elements and unknown growth factors needed by animals. On the same land, alfalfa contains about 2.5 times more digestible protein, about 6 times more minerals, and about 2 times more digestible nutrients than grass forage. Compared with other food crops, the yield of nutrients per unit area is also higher. According to the measurement results of Gongzhuling Experimental Field in Northeast China, the protein content of alfalfa is even much higher than that of soybeans. The nutritional composition of alfalfa is closely related to the harvest period. As the growth stage extends, the dry matter content gradually increases, the crude protein content gradually decreases, the crude fiber content increases significantly, and the lignification of the fiber becomes more serious. Late harvesting results in high grass yield, increased total stem volume, smaller leaf-to-stem ratio, significantly altered nutritional content, and reduced feeding value. The digestibility of alfalfa nutrients is relatively high, especially crude protein and nitrogen-free extract. 80%~90% of crude protein is decomposable, and 55%~65% is soluble, so the crude protein digestibility is generally above 60%. However, the digestion and utilization of alfalfa by livestock and poultry vary at different growth stages. As the phenological period progresses, the nutritional value decreases. According to the statistical analysis results of the relationship between alfalfa dry matter digestibility and its chemical composition conducted by the Mizhi Experimental Station of the Shaanxi Loess Plateau Comprehensive Management Institute (1994), the key to improving the digestibility and utilization of alfalfa is to control the degree of fiber lignification and reduce the loss of crude protein. It can be seen from this that timely harvesting and reducing leaf losses during transportation and drying are very important. The crude protein content of alfalfa leaves accounts for more than 80% of the whole plant. Alfalfa contains all kinds of essential amino acids needed by animals, and the content is rich and the quality is good. For example, the lysine content in hay is higher than that in corn seeds. Alfalfa is richer in vitamins and trace elements. Among vitamins, carotene is the most abundant. Among trace elements, iron and manganese are the most abundant, with the content being 5.7 times higher. However, the content of methionine, tyrosine and histidine is relatively low. Variety and soil conditions have a certain impact on amino acid content.

Many people choose some soy products when supplementing protein because soybeans are very high in protein, but in fact the protein content of alfalfa is higher than that of soybeans, so we need to understand these things and try them in this way to provide more nutrition to our bodies.