Diversity in nutritional composition of wild jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis L. DC) seeds collected from south India

Nine accessions of the wild jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis L. DC) seeds collected from nine different locations of south India were analysed for proximate composition and mineral profiles. The major findings of the study were as follows: crude protein ranged from 28.9 to 35.0%, crude lipid 3.4–4.7%, crude fibre 7.0–10.7%, ash 3.0–5.8%, carbohydrates 46.1–54.5% and energy levels 1469–1574 kJ 100 g−1 DM. Significant (P<0.05) diversity was observed in crude protein and carbohydrate contents among the accessions collected from different locations based on analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis. Potassium was the most abundant mineral, which ranged from 634 mg 100 g−1 in Dasukuppam accession to 1017 mg 100g−1 in Valacode accession. Sodium and magnesium levels are generally low with mean values of 63 and 250 mg 100 g−1, respectively. In the present study, in all minerals, significant diversity was observed among the accessions collected from different locations.