Abstract
The high mortality rate in Bangladesh is related to poverty, which results in protein malnutrition, essential fatty acid deficiency and lacks in adequate vitamins, minerals and calorie. Exploring new food items with improved dietary nutrition factors may, therefore, help to decrease the mortality rate in the poor countries like Bangladesh. Accordingly, the present study was a proximate composition and fatty acid analysis of L. purpureus seed—a legume seed which is given no careful attention locally, though it might be a good source of valuable nutrition factors for both animals and humans. The purpose of the study was, therefore, to generate awareness that L. purpureus could also act as a good source of food components essential for good health. Proximate analysis revealed that the seed powder contained 8.47 ± 0.52% moisture; 3.50 ± 0.0.07% ash; 1.02 ± 0.06% total fat; 23.95 ± 0.15% total protein; 1.21 ± 0.16% total dietary fiber; 61.86 ± 0.70% total carbohydrate and 352.4 ± 2.66 kcal/100 g energy. Phytic acid content (%) was 1.014 ± 0.048. Major fatty acid composition (%): the essential fatty acid linoleic acid (C18:2, ω-6) was 9.50 ± 0.68, while the linolenic acid (C18:3, ω-3) was 1.95 ± 0.18. Palmitic acid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0) and oleic acid (C18:1) were, respectively, 2.96 ± 0.19, 0.77 ± 0.04 and 1.10 ± 0.06. Lignoceric acid (C24:0) was 0.11 ± 0.007%. Monounsaturated palmitoleic acid (0.006 ± 0.0), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, C22:5, ω-3) and nervonic acid (0.002 ± 0.0) were present in trace amounts. Arachidonic acid (AA, C20:4, ω-6), eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5, ω-3), and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6, ω-3) were not detected. The fatty acid profile, thus, suggests that essential omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid (C18:3, ω-6) and omega-3 linolenic acid (C18:3, ω-3) were the major polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) present in L. purpureus seed. In addition, the seed contained high amount of proteins. Finally, these results suggest that L. purpureus seed could be used as a good source of quality food components, including protein and essential fatty acids.
Highlights
There is a pressing need in developing/poor countries like Bangladesh for alternative food sources that would be readily available, affordable and, at the same time, rich in energy and essential nutrients
Our present study was concerned with such a neglected crop (L. purpureus) in Bangladesh, which has the full potential to be used as a good source of essential food components
L. purpureus (L.), known as lablab bean or hyacinth bean, is a common bean belonging to the Leguminosae (Fabaceae) family; it originated in Africa and now is cultivated throughout the tropics including Bangladesh for its edible beans
Summary
There is a pressing need in developing/poor countries like Bangladesh for alternative food sources that would be readily available, affordable and, at the same time, rich in energy and essential nutrients Attention, in this regard, is being paid on neglected and underutilized crops, commonly described as orphan crops. Micronutrients and minerals are present in the lablab seed (Kala et al 2010; Shaahu et al 2015) These reports obviously acknowledge that lablab bean is a rich source of proteins and of other nutritive factors including essential fatty acids, starch, minerals and vitamins. They contain important health protective compounds, such as phenolics, inositol phosphates and oligosaccharides (Ramadoss and Shunmugam 2014). The present investigation was carried out with an attempt to clarify the proximate chemical composition as well as fatty acid profile of L. purpureus seeds
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