Plant Foods for Human Nutrition 60: 69–75, 2005.


C 2005 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.
DOI: 10.1007/s11130-005-5102-y
Nutritional and Antinutritional Characteristics of Seven South Indian Wild Legumes
V. VADIVEL1,∗ & K. JANARDHANAN2
1 IndianCardamom Research Institute, Spices Board, Myladumpara, Kailasanadu 685 553, Kerala, India; 2 Seed Technology Laboratory, Department of
Botany, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641 046, Tamil Nadu, India (∗ author for correspondence; e-mail: vadivelvds@rediffmail.com)
Abstract. Seeds from seven species of wild legumes of the South India
were analyzed for proximate composition, mineral profiles, amino acid
profiles of total seed protein, in vitro protein digestibility, and certain antin-
utritional factors to assess their potential as alternative sources of protein
crops. The major findings of the study were as follows: crude protein ranged
from 20.3 to 35.0%, crude lipid 3.1–9.6%, crude fiber 5.9–12.1%, ash 2.7–
5.1%, and carbohydrates 49.2–61.8%. Minerals viz., sodium, potassium,
calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, and manganese oc-
curred in the range 42.9–135.9, 556.2–1639.5, 304.5–572.2, 174.9–686.7,
98.4–947.8, 3.6–16.4, 0.2–1.2, 2.0–30.0, and 1.0–3.9 mg/100 g seed flour,
respectively. Profiles of amino acids of total seed proteins detected in
the present study revealed that levels of valine, phenylalanine, tyrosine,
isoleucine, and histidine of all the seven wild legume seed samples, threo-
nine of Canavalia ensiformis and C. gladiata, leucine of Mucuna pruriens
var. pruriens, and lysine of Cassia floribunda and C. obtusifolia were
found to be higher than FAO/WHO (1991) requirement pattern. The in
vitro protein digestibility of the legumes under study ranged from 63.39 to
83.32%. Antinutritional factors such as total free phenolics ranged from
0.41 to 5.96%, tannins from 0.04 to 0.60%, L-DOPA from 1.34 to 8.37%
and trypsin inhibitor activity from 13.48 to 65.43 TIU/mg protein. The
detected antinutritional factors probably have little nutritional significance
if the seeds are properly processed.
Key words: Amino acid profiles, Antinutritional factors, Chemical com-
position, In vitro protein digestibility, Wild legumes
Introduction
Nutrition is a most important basic need, being a major
determinant of health, labour productivity, and mental de-
velopment. But in most developing countries of the world,
hunger and malnutrition are increasing due to population
explosion, shortage of fertile land, and high food prices
[1]. Protein deficiency is widespread and has been cited
as the most common form of malnutrition in developing
countries [2]. With a high protein content, along with en-
ergy values and the important vitamin and mineral content,
legumes have been recognised for their nutritional impor-
tance. Legumes occupy the second place, after cereals as
sources of calories and protein in human diet. Nonetheless,
pulse production in India could not keep pace with popula-
tion growth and consequently its per capita availability has
declined from 70 g in 1956 to 34 g in 1996 [3]. Intensive
efforts to find alternative sources of proteins from plants
adapted to adverse conditions have been conducted around
the world [4–8], and have met with some success.
Most of the indigenous legumes in South India and in the
tropics in general are relatively underutilized compared to
69
chickpeas, black gram, cowpeas, green gram, horse gram,
pea, pigeon pea, kidney bean, moth bean, soybean, and
peanut. As part of our efforts to obtain more information
about these legumes toward their wider utilization, stud-
ies were carried out to investigate the nutritional qual-
ity of mature seeds of seven indigenous legumes, namely:
Canavalia ensiformis DC, C. gladiata (Jacq.) DC, Cassia
floribunda Cav., C. obtusifolia (L.), Mucuna monosperma
DC ex Wight, M. pruriens var. pruriens (L.) DC, and M.
pruriens var. utilis (Wall.ex Wight). Compositional knowl-
edge of these materials could help in developing techno-
logical processes to destroy, eliminate, or inactivate toxic
antinutritional factors or make the plant material edible and
more digestible.
Materials and Method
Materials
All the investigated seven wild legume species were col-
lected from different agroclimatic regions of South India
(Table 1). All seed samples were collected from tropical
forests of Western Ghats. The wild legumes were identified
by the methods of Sudhir et al. [9], Wilmot-Dear [10], and
Singh and Premanath [11]. The collected seeds were dried
in open sunlight for 2–3 days. After thorough clearing and
removal of broken seeds and foreign materials, seeds were
stored in airtight plastic containers at room temperature
(25 ◦ C ± 2). The air-dried seeds (approximately 50 g) were
powdered in a Wiley mill (Scientific Equipment, Delhi,
India) to 60-mesh size and stored in screw-capped bottles
at room temperature for further analysis.
Proximate Composition Analysis
The moisture content of the seed was estimated by tak-
ing 50 transversely cut seeds at a time and the weight
was taken before and after incubation in a hot-air-oven
(Toshniwal Brothers (SR) Private LTD, Chennai, India) at
80 ◦ C for 24 h, followed by cooling in a desiccator. Nitro-
gen content in the powdered seed samples was estimated
by the micro-kjeldahl method [12] and crude protein was
calculated (N × 6.25). The recommended methods of As-
sociation of Official Analytical Chemists [13] were used for
70
Table 1. Wild legumes from where collected in South India
Name of the wild legume
Canavalia ensiformis
C. gladiata
Cassia floribunda
C. obtusifolia
Mucuna monosperma
M. pruriens var. pruriens
M. pruriens var. utilis
the determination of ash, crude lipid, and crude fiber. Ash
content was determined by incineration of 2 g of sample in a
muffle furnace (Tempo Instrument & Equipment (I) Private
LTD, Bombay, India) kept at 600 ◦ C for 6 h. Crude lipid was
determined by exhaustively extracting 2 g of sample with
petroleum ether, using a Soxhlet apparatus. Crude fiber was
determined by acid and alkaline digestion methods. The car-
bohydrate content was calculated by subtracting the total of
the percentages of crude protein, crude lipid, crude fiber,
and ash on moisture-free basis from 100 [14]. The energy
value of the seed was estimated (in kJ) by multiplying the
percentages of crude protein, crude lipid, and carbohydrate
by the factors 16.7, 37.7, and 16.7, respectively [6]. Three
samples for each species were analyzed and the results
expressed on dry weight basis.
Mineral Analysis
Five hundred mg of the ground legume seed was digested
with a mixture of 10 ml concentrated nitric acid, 4 ml of
60% perchloric acid, and 1 ml of concentrated sulphuric
acid. After cooling, the digest was diluted with 50 ml deion-
ized distilled water, filtered with Whatman No. 42 filter
paper and filtrates made up to 100 ml in a glass volumetric
flask with deionized distilled water. All the minerals, except
phosphorus, were analyzed from triple acid digested sample
by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Model 5000,
Perkin-Elmer, Boston, MA, USA) equipped with different
lamps [15]. Phosphorus content in the triple acid digested
extract was colorimetrically analyzed [16] at 650 nm using
a spectrophotometer (Model Spectronic 20D, Milton Roy,
Ivyland, PA, USA).
Amino Acid Analysis
Total protein was extracted by a modified method of Basha
et al. [17]. The ethanol treatment was omitted to save
the prolamin fraction. The extracted proteins were puri-
fied by precipitation with cold 20% (w/v) trichloroacetic
acid (TCA), and estimated by the method of Lowry et al.
[18]. A 30 mg protein sample was hydrolyzed by 6 N HCl
(5 ml) in an evacuated sealed glass tube, which was kept in
air oven (Toshniwal Brothers (SR) Private LTD, Chennai,
Locality District State
Valacode Kollam Kerala
Courtallum Tirunelveli Tamil Nadu
Kargal Uttarkannada Karnataka
Top Slip Coimbatore Tamil Nadu
Bogalthode Mysore Karnataka
Arunooli Thrissur Kerala
Valanad Trivendrum Kerala
India) maintained at 110 ◦ C for 24 h. The sealed tube was
broken, and the acid removed completely by repeated flash
evaporation after the addition of deionized water. Dilution
was effected by means of citrate buffer pH 2.2, to such an ex-
tent that the solution contained 0.5 mg protein/ml. The solu-
tion was filtered through a Millipore filter (0.45 µm) (Waters
Millipore, Mississauga, ON, Canada) prior to injection. Us-
ing precolumn derivation with O-phthaldialdehyde (OPA),
amino acid analysis was performed. The unit was a reversed-
phase HPLC (Model 23250, ISCO, Lincoln, NE, USA) fit-
ted with spherisorp C18 column (4.6 mm × 250 mm) and
ISCO-dual pump. The flow rate was 1.5 ml/min and a flu-
orescence detector (excitation 305–395 nm; emission 430–
470 nm) was used. The contents of the different amino acids
recovered are expressed as g/100 g protein. The essential
amino acid score was calculated as follows:
Essential amino acid score
grams essential amino in
100 g of test protein
= × 100
grams essential amino in
100 g of FAO/WHO
[19]reference pattern
Determination of In Vitro Protein Digestibility (IVPD)
Protein digestibility was assayed by the in vitro method de-
scribed by Hsu et al. [20]. The enzymes used for IVPD were
purchased from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO, USA.
Calculated control (casein) and samples were weighed out,
hydrated in 10 ml of distilled water, and refrigerated at 5 ◦ C
for 1 h. The protein-containing samples and enzymes were
all adjusted to pH 8.0 at 37 ◦ C. The IVPD was determined
by the sequential digestion of the protein-containing sample
with a multienzyme mixture [trypsin (porcine pancreatic
trypsin—Type IX) with 14190 BAEE unites/mg protein,
α-chymotrypsin (bovine pancreatic chymotrypsin—Type
II) 60 unites/mg powder, and peptidase (porcine intestinal
peptidase—Grade III) 40 units/g powder] at 37 ◦ C followed
by protease (Type IV from Streptomyces griseus) at 55 ◦ C.
The pH drop of the samples from pH 8.0 was recorded after

20 min of incubation. The IVPD was calculated according to
the regression equation (Y = 234.84–22.56 (X), where Y =
% digestibility, X = pH drop) described by Hsu et al. [20].
Analysis of Antinutritional Compounds
The antinutritional compounds, total free phenolics [21],
tannins [22], and the nonprotein amino acid L-DOPA (3,4-
dihydroxyphenylalanine) [23] were quantified. Trypsin
inhibitor activity was determined by the enzyme assay
of Kakade et al. [24] by using benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-
nitroanilide (BAPNA) as a substrate. One trypsin inhibitor
unit (TIU) has been expressed as an increase of 0.01 ab-
sorbance units per 10 ml of reaction mixture at 410 nm.
Trypsin inhibitor activity has been defined in terms of
trypsin units inhibited per mg protein.
Results and Discussion
The results of the proximate composition of the seven wild
legumes are presented in Table 2. The crude protein val-
ues ranged between 20.3% in Cassia obtusifolia and 35%
in Canavalia ensiformis. The protein values are compa-
rable to those reported for some cultivated legume seeds
[25], like Bengal gram (17.1%), cowpea (24.1%), filed bean
(24.9%), green gram (24.0%), lentil (25.1%), moth beans
(23.6%), and peas (19.7%), but are lower than the soybean
(43.2%). These legumes are used extensively in typical In-
dian diets and are expected to play a significant role in
improving protein nutrition in India. The remarkably high
level of protein in the wild legumes under study underscores
their importance as a potential source of this vital nutrient.
The crude fat contents of the seeds varied between 3.1% in
Cassia floribunda and 9.6% in Mucuna monosperma. The
crude fat content does not qualify the presently investigated
wild legumes as oil rich legumes especially when compared
with groundnut and soybeans which have fat contents of
about 25.3% and 19.5%, respectively [25]. Relative to the
levels reported for Indian edible legumes such as Bengal
71
gram, cowpeas, green gram, horse gram, moth beans, and
peas [25], a high range (5.9–12.1%) of fiber is recorded
in the presently investigated wild leguminous seeds. The
World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended an
intake of 22–23 g of fiber for every 1000 kcal of diet [26].
Though it does not contribute to the nutritive value of foods,
the presence of fiber (i.e., roughage) in the diet is neces-
sary for digestion and for efficient elimination of wastes.
The contraction of muscular walls of the digestive tract is
stimulated by fiber thus counteracting constipation [25].
Therefore, the high range of fiber recorded in the presently
investigated wild legumes is a desirable characteristic since
fiber plays an important role in the diet of humans and an-
imals. The ash content is within 2.7–5.1%. This range is
similar to that found in the literature for legumes that serve
as food sources of minerals. It appears that the presently
investigated wild legumes have a high range of carbohydrate
(49.2–61.8%), because of their low fat content. Groundnut
and soybeans have lower carbohydrate values of 26.1% and
20.9%, respectively [25]. All seven wild legumes exhibit
higher energy values (1497–1626 kJ/100 g DM) than con-
ventional pulse crops like cowpea, green gram, horse gram,
moth bean, and peas [25], which are in the range of 1318–
1394 kJ/100 g DM.
The data on mineral profiles are given in Table 3. Potas-
sium, as in most legumes, is the predominant mineral ex-
cept in Cassia floribunda where phosphorus is predominant.
The seeds of Cassia obtusifolia exhibit the highest level
of calcium (572.2 mg/100 g), magnesium (686.7 mg/100 g),
phosphorus (947.8 mg/100 g), and zinc (30 mg/100 g) while
the seeds of Mucuna pruriens var. pruriens are rich in iron
(16.4 mg/100 g). The seeds of M. pruriens var. utilis contain
the highest levels of copper and manganese. In general, the
contents of sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and
manganese are found to be high compared to reported levels
for Pisum sativum [27].
Table 4 shows the amino acid composition of total
seed proteins and the essential amino acid scores of wild
legumes along with FAO/WHO [19] reference pattern. The
data on the amino acid pattern of total seed proteins of

Table 2. Proximate composition of the wild legumes collected from South India (g/100 g seed flour)a

Energy
Sample Moisture Crude protein Crude lipid Crude fiber Ash CHOb (kJ/100 gDM)

Canavalia ensiformis 8.5 ± 0.3 35.0 ± 0.8 4.3 ± 0.5 7.7 ± 0.3 3.9 ± 0.1 49.2 1568
C. gladiata 8.5 ± 0.5 25.5 ± 0.6 3.3 ± 0.4 5.9 ± 0.2 3.5 ± 0.1 61.8 1582
Cassia floribunda 5.7 ± 0.1 21.7 ± 0.6 3.1 ± 0.3 10.8 ± 0.9 3.4 ± 0.1 61.0 1497
C. obtusifolia 6.8 ± 0.2 20.3 ± 0.3 7.4 ± 0.2 6.8 ± 0.1 5.1 ± 0.1 60.3 1626
Mucuna monosperma 6.5 ± 0.1 21.2 ± 0.6 9.6 ± 0.1 12.1 ± 0.1 2.7 ± 0.1 54.4 1625
M. pruriens var. pruriens 8.4 ± 0.2 32.4 ± 0.6 5.7 ± 0.4 7.8 ± 0.3 3.6 ± 0.2 50.6 1601
M. pruriens var. utilis 8.5 ± 0.2 29.3 ± 1.2 6.4 ± 0.5 8.4 ± 0.3 4.2 ± 0.1 51.7 1593
a All values are mean of triplicate determination expressed on dry weight basis ± standard error.
b CHO—Carbohydrates calculated by difference.
72
Table 3. Mineral constituents in wild legumes collected from South India (mg/100 g seed flour)a

Sample Na K Ca Mg P Fe Cu Zn Mn

Canavalia ensiformis 56.8 ± 3.8 1017.5 ± 2.8 497.9 ± 9.1 192.1 ± 7.5 240.2 ± 5.2 5.2 ± 3.2 0.4 ± 0.9 4.3 ± 1.7 1.0 ± 0.2
C. gladiata 109.3 ± 2.7 1639.5 ± 3.4 510.1 ± 6.2 480.9 ± 4.6 601.2 ± 3.5 10.9 ± 0.9 0.8 ± 0.2 6.6 ± 0.2 2.2 ± 0.1
Cassia floribunda 135.9 ± 6.4 573.2 ± 8.4 537.8 ± 3.5 288.7 ± 5.4 603.1 ± 6.7 3.6 ± 1.0 0.3 ± 1.0 2.0 ± 0.5 1.0 ± 0.5
C. obtusifolia 42.9 ± 7.3 1555.8 ± 3.8 572.2 ± 4.4 686.7 ± 5.8 947.8 ± 6.4 10.7 ± 0.7 1.0 ± 0.8 30.0 ± 0.6 2.1 ± 0.5
Mucuna monosperma 98.4 ± 4.4 556.2 ± 5.6 313.8 ± 3.7 273.8 ± 8.5 206.8 ± 7.3 4.8 ± 0.9 0.2 ± 0.4 7.7 ± 0.5 1.1 ± 0.2
M. pruriens var. pruriens 47.8 ± 6.8 835.1 ± 5.7 304.5 ± 7.4 208.8 ± 4.4 119.6 ± 3.8 16.4 ± 0.4 1.0 ± 0.8 2.3 ± 0.5 1.8 ± 0.4
M. pruriens var. utilis 52.5 ± 1.2 778.1 ± 1.4 393.4 ± 7.5 174.9 ± 4.4 98.4 ± 3.5 13.4 ± 1.2 1.2 ± 0.6 6.7 ± 0.4 3.9 ± 0.2
a All values are mean of triplicate determination expressed on dry weight basis ± standard error.

the investigated wild legumes reveal that threonine con-
tent of Cassia floribunda, C. obtusifolia, Mucuna pruriens
var. pruriens and M. pruriens var. utilis, leucine content
of Canavalia ensiformis, C. gladiata, Cassia floribunda,
Mucuna monosperma, M. pruriens var. utilis, and lysine
content of Canavalia gladiata, Mucuna monosperma, M.
pruriens var. pruriens and M. pruriens var. utilis seem to
be deficient; whereas the contents of valine, phenylalanine,
tyrosine, isoleucine and histidine of all the seven wild
legume seed samples, threonine content of Canavalia ensi-
formis and C. gladiata, leucine content of Mucuna pruriens
var. pruriens, and lysine content of Cassia floribunda and
C. obtusifolia are found to be higher than FAO/WHO [19]
requirement pattern. In general, the amino acid profiles are
an underestimate of total amino acid levels because some
amino acids are destroyed during the preparation of the
sample by acid digestion.
The in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) of all seven wild
legumes studied ranged from 63.39 to 83.32% (Table 5).
This range seems to be higher compared to pigeon pea [28,
29] and green gram [30] and is comparable with that of cow-
pea [7, 31, 32], chickpea [31, 33, 34], horse gram [31, 35],
kidney bean [36], moth bean [35], and soybean [33]. The
highest IVPD is recorded for Cassia floribunda followed
by Mucuna monosperma. However, these values are much
lower than the corresponding value for casein (97.7%) [37].
The presence of antinutritional factors is one of the major
drawbacks limiting the nutritional and food qualities of the
legumes [38]. A preliminary evaluation of some of these fac-
tors in raw wild legumes is made for this reason (Table 5).
In the studied seeds, total free phenolics occurred within
the range of 0.41–5.96% and tannins ranged from 0.04 to
0.60%. These ranges seem to be lower compared to black
gram [39]. The negative nutritional effects of tannins are
diverse and incompletely understood, but the major effect
is to cause growth depression by decreasing the digestibility
of protein and carbohydrate. This is most likely the conse-
quence of the interaction of tannins with either protein or
starch to form enzyme-resistant substances [38]. Tannins
are concentrated mainly in the seed coat [5, 8]; preliminary
dehulling constitutes the simplest method for their removal.
Available information also indicates that the levels of tan-
nin in legumes can be reduced by simple processing meth-
ods, such as soaking, roasting, and autoclaving [6, 39–41].
The L-DOPA content in both species of Canavalia ranged
from 2.64 to 2.83% of dry weight. In Cassia, the L-DOPA
content ranged from 1.34 to 1.57% and in Mucuna from
4.52 to 8.37%. In M. pruriens var. pruriens, it accounts for
8.37%. In earlier studies, it has been demonstrated that the
level of L-DOPA is significantly reduced by repeated soak-
ing and boiling of seeds [42], dry heat [6], and autoclaving
[41]. Trypsin inhibitor activity ranged from 13.48 TIU/mg
proteins in Cassia obtusifolia to 65.43 TIU/mg proteins in
Mucuna monosperma. All legumes, studied to date, have
been found to contain trypsin inhibitors in varying amounts.
Though the trypsin inhibitor activity has been studied in
a number of pulses, the results obtained in the present
investigation cannot be compared because the expression
of trypsin inhibitor activity, nature, and concentration of
the substrate etc., are different. However, based on the in-
vestigations carried out under similar experimental condi-
tions for trypsin inhibitor activity in cultivated legumes like
pigeon pea (67.1–71.3 TIU/mg proteins) [28] and kidney
bean (79.7–87.6 TIU/mg proteins) [43], it may be inferred
that the trypsin inhibitor activity obtained in the present in-
vestigation appears to be low. Trypsin inhibitors ingested
in significant amounts disrupt the digestive process and
may lead to undesirable physiological reactions. Trypsin
inhibitor is thermolabile and its inhibitory activity can be
reduced considerably by thermal treatment [38].
In conclusion, this study reveals that the chemical com-
position of all seven wild legumes seem to be compara-
ble to that of cultivated legumes reported earlier. In ad-
dition, they contain higher levels of certain amino acids
compared to recommended levels. In vitro protein di-
gestibility of these legumes is also found to be higher than
that of certain common legumes. The presence of antinu-
tritional factors identified in this current report should not
pose a problem to human health if the seeds are properly
processed. In view of the overall nutrient and chemical
composition, seeds of these wild legumes can be explored
as an alternative protein source to alleviate the protein-
energy-malnutrition that can occur among economically
weaker segments of the population in developing countries.
Table 4. Amino acid profiles of acid hydrolyzed purified total seed proteins (g/100 g proteins)

Amino Canavalia Cassia Mucuna M. pruriens M. pruriens FAO/WHO [19]

acid ensiformis EAAS C. gladiata EAAS floribunda EAAS C. obtusifolia EAAS monosperma var. pruriens EAAS var. utilis EAAS requirement pattern

Asp 12.53 14.02 10.83 13.52 11.23 10.53 17.14

Glu 16.38 19.37 18.82 20.71 16.85 9.84 9.56
Ala 3.12 5.12 3.27 3.84 6.93 2.55 3.87
Val 4.83 138 4.03 115 4.38 125 4.18 119 4.93 141 8.57 245 7.35 210 3.5
Gly 5.24 5.25 5.74 5.46 4.43 10.73 5.12
Arg 7.83 4.84 6.85 6.47 2.38 7.14 5.14
Ser 6.54 3.73 4.04 4.82 3.84 5.75 4.93

Cys N.D N.D N.D N.D N.D N.D N.D 2.5
Met 1.78 1.51 0.83 0.99 0.34 1.27 1.24
Thr 4.03
118 4.02
118 2.87
84 3.21
94 3.57
105 2.58
76 3.27
96
3.4
Phe 4.83 5.23 125 5.82 122 4.40 108 5.87 172 3.38 137 3.78 137 6.3
Tyr 3.45 131 2.62 1.87 2.43 4.95 5.27 4.88
Ile 2.87 102 4.44 158 3.83 137 4.19 149 5.87 210 3.96 141 2.94 105 2.8
Leu 3.95 60 4.03 61 6.23 94 6.61 100 4.97 73 7.28 110 6.34 96 6.6
His 3.73 196 3.12 164 5.27 277 2.08 109 2.38 125 4.27 225 4.17 219 1.9
Lys 5.78 100 4.85 83 6.47 115 7.16 123 5.48 94 5.16 89 4.95 85 5.8
Try N.D. N.D. N.D. N.D. N.D. N.D. N.D 1.1
Pro N.D. N.D. N.D. N.D. N.D. N.D. N.D

Note. The amino acid profiles are an underestimate of total amino acid levels because the amino acids cystine and tryptophan are destroyed during the preparation of the sample by acid digestion.
N.D.—Not Detected; EAAS—Essential amino acid score.
73
74
Table 5. In vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) and antinutritional factors in wild legumes collected from South India

Trypsin inhibitor Activitya

Sample IVPD (%)a Total free phenolicsb (%) Tanninsb (%) L-DOPAb (%) (TIU/mg protein)

Canavalia ensiformis 74.66 1.23 ± 0.05 0.16 ± 0.01 2.64 ± 1.31 34.34
C. gladiata 63.39 1.94 ± 0.13 0.20 ± 0.02 2.83 ± 0.05 26.83
Cassia floribunda 83.32 0.41 ± 0.52 0.42 ± 0.12 1.57 ± 0.23 16.84
C. obtusifolia 74.66 0.66 ± 0.05 0.60 ± 0.05 1.34 ± 0.45 13.48
Mucuna monosperma 78.32 2.29 ± 0.68 0.55 ± 0.21 4.52 ± 0.92 65.43
M. pruriens var. pruriens 72.41 5.96 ± 0.11 0.05 ± 0.01 8.37 ± 0.39 62.34
M. pruriens var. utilis 72.41 4.48 ± 0.13 0.04 ± 0.43 6.68 ± 0.07 48.23
a Values of two independent experiments.
b Values are mean of triplicate determination expressed on dry weight basis ± standard error.

Acknowledgment
We thank the Government of India, Ministry of Environ-
ment & Forests, New Delhi, India for financial assistance.
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