Chemical composition of prosopis juliflora (SW.) D.C (mosquito bean).

ABSTRACT

Four accessions of the under-exploited legume, Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) D.C (mosquito bean) collected as pod from natural stands of four different agro-climatic regions of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR) Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India were analyzed for their proximate composition, seed protein fractions, amino acid profiles of total seed proteins, fatty acid profiles, mineral composition, in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) and certain anti-nutritional factors, to determine their potential as an alternative source to alleviate protein-energy-malnutrition among the people of Tamil Nadu. The crude protein ranged from 26.69 - 29.84%, crude lipid 11.89 - 13.75%, total crude fibre 8.78 - 9.89%, ash 3.99 - 4.95% and carbohydrates 42.45 - 46.37%. The energy level of the seed (1684.94 - 1725.62 kJ100g-1 DM) was comparable with commonly consumed Indian pulses. The albumins and glutelins constitute the major bulk of seed proteins. The essential amino acid profile of total seed proteins compared favorably with FAO/WHO (1991) requirement pattern, except that there were deficiencies of sulphur containing amino acids in all the four accessions. The fatty acid profiles revealed that the seed lipids contained higher concentrations of oleic and linoleic acid. The investigated seeds were rich in minerals such as K, Ca, Mg and P. The IVPD of the four accessions ranged from 50.65 - 63.18%. The range of anti-nutritional factors were as follows total free phenolics, 4.93 - 8.58%, tannins, 6.81 - 9.15%, L-DOPA, 2.21 - 4.52%, phytic acid, 0.33 - 0.89 g100g-1, and trypsin inhibitor activity, 40.4 - 48.2 TIU mg-1 protein. Lower levels of phytohaemagglutinating activity for human erythrocytes of “O” blood group than for “A” and “B” blood groups were found. The anti-nutritional fatty acid, behenic acid (0.47 - 1.37%) was also detected.