Vadivel et al., 2007. Livest. Res. Rural Dev., 19 (7): 97

The under-utilized legume seeds have better potential to meet the increasing protein requirements of livestock industries, but remain untapped. In the present study, the proximate composition, antinutritional compounds and biological value of seeds of a potential under-utilized legume, Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. var. utilis (Wall. ex Wight) Baker ex Burck (velvet bean) were investigated.

The mature seeds were found to contain high level of protein (27.3%); lipid (6.06%); fiber (9.7%); ash (5.6%) and carbohydrates (51%). Even though, the raw seeds were found to contain various nutritionally undesirable antinutritional substances, the autoclaving treatment effectively reduced their maximum levels without affecting the nutritional profiles of the velvet bean seeds when compared to soaking, cooking or roasting processing methods. The rats fed with autoclaved seed included diet for 28 days exhibits better growth performance such as higher feed intake (FI) (192 g) and body weight gain (BWG) (51 g). Moreover, the protein quality parameters such as protein efficiency ratio (PER), true digestibility (TD), biological value (BV), net protein utilization (NPU) and utilizable proteins of velvet bean seed proteins were significantly improved by autoclaving processing method when compared to other processing techniques.