STUDIES ON THE UNDEREXPLOITED LEGUMES, INDIGOFERA-LINIFOLIA AND SESBANIA-BISPINOSA - NUTRIENT COMPOSITION AND ANTINUTRITIONAL FACTORS

The nutrient composition and antinutritional factors of two Indian tri bal pulses, Indigofera linifolia (L.f)Retz. and Sesbania bispinosa (Ja cq.) W.F. Wight, were determined. The mature seeds contained 296.6-321 .2 g kg(-1) crude protein, 47.2-64.2 g kg(-1) crude lipid, 56.7-72 g k g(-1) crude fiber, 27.6-31.9 g kg(-1) ash and 531.3-550.6 g kg(-1) car bohydrates. The seeds of Indigofera linifolia were rich in K, Ca, Mn a nd Cu, whereas Sesbania bispinosa were rich in P and Zn. While albumin s and globulins constituted the major proportion of seed proteins in I ndigofera linifolia, globulins and glutelins formed the major bulk of seed proteins in Sesbania bispinosa. Seed lipids of both legumes conta ined a large proportion of unsaturated fatty acids with linoleic acid as the predominant one. These two pulses contained adequate levels of all the essential amino acids except sulpho-amino acids in total seed proteins and globulin fraction of Sesbania bispinosa. The in vitro pro tein digestibility of the raw seeds of Indigofera linifolia and Sesban ia bispinosa were found to be 74.15% and 66.71% and cooked seeds 81.4% and 76.8%, respectively. Antinutritional factors such as total free p henolics, tannins, phytic acid, hydrogen cyanide, trypsin inhibitor an d phytohaemagglutinating activities were also analysed.