NUTRITIONAL AND HEMAGGLUTINATION PROPERTIES OF SEVERAL TROPICAL SEEDS

The nutritional potential of a number of raw tropical seeds was assess ed in a series of feeding trials with rats. Seed lectin reactivity was also monitored. alpha-amylase and trypsin inhibitory activities were determined in some of the seeds. Abelmoschus esculentus, Chenopodium q uinoa, Delonix regia, Macroptilium lathyroides, Papaver somniferum, Pa rkia biglandulosa, Sesbania arabica, Terminalia catappa, Vigna subterr anea, Vigna umbellata and Vigna unguiculata seeds supported moderate r at growth. The seeds contained only low levels of essentially non-toxi c lectin, moderate amounts of trypsin inhibitors and negligible quanti ties of cr-amylase inhibitors and they have great potential as dietary protein sources for man and animals. Artocarpus altilis, Canavalia en siformis, Canavalia maritima, Dioclea grandiflora, Phaseolus acutifoli us, Phaseolus coccineus and Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Processor, cv. Rosi nha G2 and cv. Carioca 80 seeds were toxic. These seeds contained high levels of potentially toxic lectins. Other antinutritional factors ma y also have contributed to the high oral toxicity of some of these see ds. Albizia adinocephala, Albizia lebbeck, Bauhinia violacea, Cassia n odosa, Cassia tora, Dioclea sclerocarpa, Entada phaseoloides, Enterolo bium cyclocarpum, Leucaena leucocephala and Moringa oleifera: seeds we re also highly toxic but had only low levels of essentially non-toxic lectins suggesting that the toxicity was due to other anti-nutritional factors. Bauhinia reticulata, Macrotyloma uniflorum and Tamarindus in dica proteins were poorly digested and utilized. The seeds contained l ow levels of lectins which agglutinated only rat and cattle erythrocyt es which had been pre-treated with suitable proteases. Blownea macroph ylla had a similar lectin reactivity.