Abstract:

Four cultivars of winged bean seeds were analyzed for total lipid content and fatty acid composition by Soxhlet extraction coupled with gas chromatography, total protein content by the Kjeldahl method and amino acid composition on a Hitachi model L-8800 automated amino acid analyzer. Results showed that the total lipid contents of 4 cultivars of winged bean seeds varied from 20% to 22% and 28 fatty acids were identified in each winged bean oil, in which, oleic acid accounted for 90.7% of the total monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), the predominant polyunsaturated fatty acids consisted of linoleic acid, α-linolenic acid and EPA and the average content of saturated fatty acids was 25.76%. The total protein contents of 4 cultivars of winged bean seeds were approximately 38%. Four cultivars of winged bean seeds were all rich in essential amino acids.

Key words: winged bean, lipids, fatty acid, protein, amino acid