Protein Quality
 Leucaena protein is high in nutritional quality. Amino acids
are present in well-balanced proportions and are very similar to
alfalfa (Meulen et al., 1979): Leucaena leaves provide a rich
source of B-carotene, xanthophyll and vitamin K and can be an
excellent source of calcium, phosphorous and other dietary
minerals. Calcium appears to be an important constituent of the
mineral content of the plant; it occurs up to 19 g/kg on a dry
matter basis. Leucaena leaf meal is very rich in xanthophyll
pigments, estimated in the range of 741-766 mg/kg. The vitamin
A content of leucaena leaf meal is fourfold that of alfalfa meal,
whereas the carotene content is twofold that found in alfalfa.
 There is no exact information about regions of Africa,
Australia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Viet Nam in
which leucaena is used in the human diet. There is also a paucity of
reliable information from these areas regarding the percentage of
population consuming leucaena as a food and the quantities they
utilize. The people in areas where leucaena is consumed as food
aware of its undesirable side effects. In view of this knowledge, and
yet in spite of it, leucaena is probably consumed as food in quan-
tities far in excess of that which is recorded.
 Young leaves and young seeds form a regular part of the diet in
New Guinea, Mexico and Thailand, according to Jones (1977).
Leaves and immature fruits are reportedly edible uncooked
(Dalziel, 1937; Dragendorff, 1898); they are cooked and eaten,
according to Morton (1962). Young pods are most commonly
used as food (Martin and Ruberte, 1975). Young pods and ripe,
but not mature, seeds are eaten raw with rice (Benthall, 1933;
Perkins, 1907; van Veen, 1966; Walandouw, 1952). Young pods
are commonly used in soup (Benge, 1977; van Veen, 1966) and as
a vegetable in Malaysia (Corner, 1940; Walker, 1954), the Philip-
pines (Holdridge, 1942; Walker, 1954) and the West Indies
(Hosaka and Ripperton, 1944; Morton, 1962).
 Young pods, leaves and flower buds are used as vegetables in
Hawaii (Takahashi and Ripperton, 1949). Mature but still succu-
lent seeds are eaten with rice. The food called "botok," described
from the Dutch East Indies, is also used in Hawaii. Even the
young seedlings are mixed with dry fish and grated coconut and
eaten.
 Leucaena flowers are used in salads according to Benge (1977).
The flowers are less commonly eaten with rice according to Martin
and Ruberte (1975).
 The slightly bitter leaves are added to soups and stews, accord-
ing to some sources (Benge, 1977; Martin and Ruberte, 1975; van
Veen, 1966). In addition, leucaena leaves are eaten fresh, dipped
in sauces, and eaten as a side dish. Children in Thailand pluck
the tender young leaves from leucaena hedges and relish them.
 Full grown but unripened seeds are dried and eaten uncooked
(Benge, 1977; Martin and Ruberte, 1975). Immature seeds are
also palatable and eaten as a vegetable, and when pulverized and
dried, they are made into dried seed cakes (Benge, 1977). The
mature seeds are also eaten after they are parched or roasted
(Anon., 1962; Martin and Ruberte, 1975; Morton, 1962;
Takahashi and Ripperton, 1949; Walker, 1954). I have observed
Mexicans eating immature seeds shelled from the pods at lunch
along with fish and rice. Indeed, leucaena pods are sold in the
open markets of many towns and cities throughout Central
America and Mexico. The immature pods are collected daily and
taken to the market. In various parts of Mexico, pods of L.
esculenta (Moc. and Sesse) Benth. are preferred to those of L.
leucocephala.Along the roads and highways in many areas of
Mexico, one can observe the mutilation of trees caused by in-
discriminate pod collection. Some families build and maintain
ladders in order to collect pods from trees growing around the
home. This is done in order to minimize the damage to the trees.
The precise stage of maturity of the pods appears of utmost im-


portance to some people. By collecting the pods at the desired
stage, some people store them in their refrigerators until needed.
Apparently, storage under these conditions slows the maturation
process sufficiently, at least to the satisfaction of those who follow
this custom.
 A food called "botok" is made from leucaena seeds inJava. It is
made by mixing half ripe seeds with grated coconut and fish or
meat, wrapping the mixture in a banana leaf and cooking it. It is
also used as a side dish with rice. Seeds of partially mature pods
are eaten, either raw or cooked, as a delicacy. Ripe, mature seeds
are eaten with rice after they are roasted and pounded into a
meal. People of east and central Java also make "toge" from the
young seedlings; in addition, the seedlings are eaten mixed with
dry fish and grated coconut. Ochse and Bakhuizen van den Brink
(1931) summarized the use of leucaena in the Dutch East Indies
by stating that it has "varied but limited use as a food crop."
 Montias (1978) wrote a thesis on her study of the use of ipil-ipil
(L. leucocephala) flour in the preparation of cookies.
 "Tempeh" is a fermented food made from.leguminous seeds;
e.g., leucaena and soybeans. The commercial product is usually
made from soybeans and is popular in Indonesia because it can be
fermented there the year-round without artificial temperature
control. Tempeh is mild flavored; it is served with a variety of
spicy or sweet sauces, in soups, curries, and after frying (Shurtleff
and Aoyagi, 1980). Soybean tempeh is called "Tempeh kedele"
inJava. "Tempeh lamtoro," which is more flavorful than soybean
tempeh, is made from leucaena seeds. Incidentally, lamtoro is
the name for leucaena in Indonesia.
 At least four procedures have been described in making
Tempeh lamtoro; i.e., those of Raintree (1980), Shurtleff and
Aoyagi (1980), Slamet et al., (1982), and Whiting (1982). The
procedures described by Slamet et al. and Whiting in making
Tempeh lamtoro are essentially the same, both requiring three to
four days. Both Tempeh kedele and Tempeh lamtoro are served
in a similar manner. A sample of leucaena tempeh, described by
Raintree, contained 50% protein, 38% carbohydrate, and 11%
fat on a moisture-free basis.
 It is important to eliminate the mucilage envelope which sur-
rounds the cotyledons and separates them from the testa in the
preparation of tempeh. This is accomplished by repeated trampl-
ing and washing the seeds (Whiting, 1982). An inoculant,
Rhizopus oliosporus, is also required in the fermentation process.
The palatability and digestibility of leucaena seeds is increased
and the mimosine content decreased in the process of making
tempeh. Fortunately, mimosine is either destroyed or metabo-
lized during the washing, soaking, boiling, steaming, and final-
ly, during fermentation, according to Whiting (1982). Slamet et
al. (1982) indicate that the entire procedure of processing the
seeds reduces the mimosine to 1/1125 of the initial content. At
this extremely low level of mimosine, Tempeh lamtoro consump-
tion should be considered safe.
 Additional research on the technology of processing leucaena
 seeds to separate testa from cotyledons and removing the muci-
 lage is being carried out by the University of Hawaii. Nutrient
 values of Tempeh lamtoro are being studied at the Nutrition
 Research and Development Center in Bogor, Java. Biological
 testing with laboratory animals will provide greater assurance of
 the safety of Tempeh lamtoro for general consumption. Mean-
 while, however, it is being made and utilized in Indonesia.
 The limitations imposed on leucaena as a food and feed crop
 by the presence of the toxic amino acid mimosine are well known.
 They are not a part of this paper, however. Instead, we must con-
 sider acceptability, palatability, digestibility, and nutritive value
 of leucaena as a food crop for man. Similar considerations should
 be addressed to leucaena as a feed crop for livestock. Leucaena is
 hard to surpass as a renewable and sustaining source of food and
 feed.


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