Acacia species, in spite of their high tannin content, are considered to be good sources of crude protein and minerals for ruminants (Rubanza et al., 2007). Acacia tortilis was shown to be the acacia species with the highest microbial degradation potential (Ngwa et al., 2002).
In Kenya, leaves and pods of Acacia tortilis used to supplement Chloris gayana-based diets for goats, and had a positive effect on dry matter intake, digestibility and live-weight gain, particularly when mixtures represented a 1:1 ratio of leaves and pods (Abdulrazak et al., 2005). In south-western Eritrea, feeding goats with Acacia tortilis pods at up to 75% of the diet resulted in higher dry matter digestibility, organic matter digestibility and body weight gain (Araya et al., 2003a).
In Central Sudan, Acacia tortilis leaves were reported to be a valuable source of energy and protein if harvested in the early dry season or in the wet season and stored until needed. The Ca:P ratio should be improved by P supplementation (Fadel Elseed et al., 2002).
Dairy cows fed Acacia tortilis pods were reported to produce milk with an unpleasant odour (Bwire et al., 2004).
