Castor bean cake: A paradox of toxicity and nutrient source in farm animals and aquaculture

Abstract

Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) though indigenous to Africa, has become endemic to many Asian, African, European and American countries. Castor is an industrial oilseed crop, wide spread in the tropical region as a spontaneous plant and widely being cultivated in India, China and Brazil. The main advantage of castor is its tolerance to drought stress and adaptation to variable agro-climatic conditions. The castor bean contains 40% oil, 1-5% ricin and 0.3-0.8% ricinin and nutritionally rich as it contains 4.3% nitrogen (N 2 ), 1.8% phosphorus (P 2 O 5 ) and 1.3% potassium (K 2 O). However, the great paradox of castor poisoning haunts globally before commercial application of such nutrient rich natural product in animal husbandry sector including aquaculture. The present paper reviewed the prospects of castor bean as nutrient source in animal husbandry considering its poisonous effects and processing mechanisms.