## 3 Results and Discussion  
### Proximate Composition  
Table 1 shows the proximate composition of ground beef and moisture content decreased as the concentration of MOLP increased, and there was a significant difference (\(p\leq 0.05\)) in the decreasing rates. The control samples had a higher moisture content compared to treated samples throughout the storage period. [PERSON] [30] reported low moisture content of oat flour-treated beef patties due to an increase in total soluble solids. Therefore, high total soluble solids might have contributed to low moisture content of treated ground beef during cold storage days. [PERSON] et al. [31] reported similar results, whereby the inclusion of destoned olive cake powder decreased the moisture content of raw beef patties.  
The ash content of formulated samples significantly increased (\(p<0.05\)) in comparison with the control with the increase of MOLP concentration from day 0 to day 15. The ash content increased within same sample as storage days increased, with this potentially being due to the fact that MOLP is very rich in minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium [32]. These findings are consistent with those of [PERSON] et al. [33], who found that ash content of Hubbard broiler chicken meat supplemented with a diet of aqueous MO leaf extract significantly improved.  
The protein content of treated ground beef samples significantly increased (\(p<0.05\)) with the increase of MOLP levels in comparison with the control sample. The protein content increased with the inclusion of MOLP within the same sample ranging from 20.09 for F0 sample in day zero to 22.15% in F4 sample in day 15. This suggests that MOLP is an excellent source of all essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. The increase in protein content might have been due to antioxidant fractions found in morniga leaves [34]. A similar trend was reported by [PERSON] et al. [35], whereby MOLP improved the protein content of rohu fillets in comparison with the control sample. Moreover, high protein content of treated ground beef might be attributed to the maturity stage of MO leaves, since young leaves tend to have a higher protein content than older leaves [36].  
The findings of this study are the same as those of [PERSON] et al. [37], who demonstrated that the inclusion of different levels of _Moringa stenopetala_ leaf powder improved the protein content of Arsi-Bale goat meat. Higher crude protein content of the MO products is beneficial to consumers, especially growing children who require protein in higher amounts.  
The fat content of treated samples decreased slightly but was still higher than those of the control from day 0 to day 15 within the same sample. This is because MOLP has a small amount of fat (2.3%) [38]. However, there was no significance difference (\(p<0.05\)) in samples during days 0, 5, 10, and 15. Low fat content of treated ground beef samples ensures that beef maintains its quality. Too much fat undergoes oxidative degradation, resulting in rancidity, thereby decreasing the shelf stability of ground beef. Therefore, the control sample is more susceptible to spoilage than treated ground beef. The low fat content of treated ground beef samples may be due low fat content of MOLP [39]. Contrastingly, [PERSON] et al. [40] reported no significant difference in fat content of chicken breast meat supplemented with MO leaf meal.