CHEMICAL-ANALYSIS AND NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT OF LESSER KNOWN PULSES OF THE GENUS, MUCUNA

Two samples of seed materials of the Indian tribal pulse, Mucuna utili s, were collected from different forests in Tamil Nadu, India. The see ds of another tribal pulse, M. monosperma, were collected from Aliyar forest in Tamil Nadu. The mature seed samples were analysed for proxim ate composition, seed protein fractions, amino acid composition, fatty acid profiles, minerals and antinutritional factors. The investigated seed samples of M. utilis and M. monosperma contained higher amounts of crude protein and crude lipid when compared with most of the common ly consumed pulses. Albumin and globulin fractions constituted the maj or bulk of seed proteins. Amino acid profiles of M. utilis (black seed coat sample) revealed that the seed proteins contained relatively hig her levels of the sulpho-amino acid cystine. The seed proteins of both samples of M. utilis and M. monosperma also contained higher levels o f the other essential amino acids, isoleucine, tyrosine and phenylalan ine. The fatty acid profiles of both samples of M. utilis and M. monos perma revealed that the seed lipids contained higher concentrations of palmitic acid and linoleic acid. The antinutritional fatty acid, behe nic acid, also was detected in the present study. The investigated see ds were rich in minerals such as Na, P, Mg, Zn and Fe. Antinutritional substances, total free phenols, tannins, L-DOPA and haemagglutinating activity, were also analysed/assayed.