True protein content and non-protein amino acids present in legumes seeds
1988
Lucas, B. | Guerrero, A. | Sigales, L. | Sotelo, A.
Extract: Legumes contain high concentrations of protein. However, in evaluating wild legumes as a possible food source for both humans and animals, it is necessary to determine true protein content, since many legumes also contain substantial concentrations of non-protein amino acids which contribute significantly to a total nitrogen measurement. As much as 33% of the total nitrogen was found to be non-protein nitrogen in some legumes we examined. Some non-protein amino acids have undesirable physiological effects on the animals which consume them. Therefore, the identity of any of them is also important if wild legumes are to be seriously considered for an animal diet. Several wild and cultivated legumes were assayed in this study and ten non-protein amino acids were investigated; however only three of them were found in high concentrations: DOPA in the seeds of velvet bean and chupabaya, canavanine in alverjon and cacahuanane seeds and mimosine in palo fierro and guaje seeds. Five non-protein amino acids were not detected in the legumes studied, however, some non-identified peaks appeared in the aminograms of several legumes that has to be investigated in future work.(author)
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