CHEMICAL AND NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF TREE LEGUME SEEDS AND PODS FROM SOUTHWESTERN UNITED-STATES AND SONORA MEXICO

Ten different types of legume tree seeds and pods collected from legum e trees growing in the desert area of Tucson, Arizona were analyzed fo r proximate composition, acid detergent (ADF), dietary fiber, phytic a cid (PA), trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA), minerals, and amino acids composition. Protein content of seeds ranged from 19.09% for desert wi llow to 25.66% for feather tree. The lipid content of seeds ranged fro m 1.7% for mesquite to 34.25% for ironwood. The soluble fiber content of seeds ranged from 4.23% for ironwood to 23.16% for green pale verde , while the insoluble fiber ranged from 19.71% for Acacia angustissima to 45.67% for sweet acacia. PA levels varied from 1.4 mg/g for feathe r tree seeds to 7.4mg/g for blue pale verde seeds. TIA was extremely h igh in feather tree and Acacia angustissima seeds (27,323 and 26,338 T IU/g, respectively). Mineral content varied among seeds, calcium and p hosphorus being consistently the highest. Amino acid content was simil ar to that of other legumes with cysteine and methionine being low.