title: Potentials of Kerstingiella geocarpa as a health food.
abstract: The seed of Kerstingiella geocarpa was analyzed to determine its proximate and amino acid compositions. The seed was found to be a high source of crude protein (21.3%) and very low in crude fat (1.0%). Arginine, an amino acid for pediatric growth, was the most concentrated amino acid in the seed. Arginine (9.3 g/100 g of crude protein), histidine (2.1 g/100 g of crude protein), and phenylalanine (3.2 g/100 g of crude protein) concentrations in the seed were found in higher levels than the recommended Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization amino acid requirement pattern for the preschool age group. The total essential amino acid content in K. geocarpa seed was 42.0%. The lysine:arginine ratio calculated to estimate the seed atherogenic potential was 0.3. This shows that K. geocarpa seed protein will not exert a hypercholesterolemia effect on the consumer. Futhermore, incorporation of the seed into diets of experimental rats resulted in hematological parameters comparable with those of casein control-fed rats. These findings show this seed could be an important source of food that holds promise in medicinal nutrition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Ado-Ekiti, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.
authors.forename: O B
authors.initials: OB
authors.lastname: Ajayi
authors.forename: F L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Oyetayo
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000032:analysis; D002364:Caseins / Q000494:pharmacology; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D058870:Food, Organic; D006405:Hematology; D006639:Histidine / Q000032:analysis; D008239:Lysine / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D009753:Nutritive Value; D010649:Phenylalanine / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D002364:Caseins; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D010649:Phenylalanine; D006639:Histidine; D001120:Arginine; D008239:Lysine