Qualitative Analysis: Free Amino acid Composition of Leaf Extract (LE) and Leaf Protein Concentrates (LPC) of Some Wild and Cultivated Plant Species.

Abstract

The objective of the present study is to search the alternative source of nutritional quality of dietary protein from the leaves of wild and cultivated plant species which are underutilized. Leaf protein concentrates (LPC) which is concentrated form of protein prepared from the foliage of plants is inexpensive and most abundant source of available protein and it is equivalent to most of the animal protein source. For the use of leaf protein concentrates (LPC) as a human and animal consumption it is necessary to have appropriate proportion of amino acid composition in it. The nutritive value of protein explained on availability and amount of various essential amino acids present in it. In the present communication describe the isolation of leaf protein concentrates (LPC) from the leaves of ten different plant species viz. Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. & Coss, Brassica napus L., Brassica oleracea var. Botrytis L. (cultivated) and Chenopodium album L, Goniocaulon indicum, (Klein ex Willd). C.B. CL, Celosia argentea L., Vigna trilobata (L.)Verde, Digera muricata (L.) Mart, Tridax procumbens and Ocimum americanum L. (wild), and its qualitative analysis by thin layer chromatography (TLC) technique for detection of different amino acid composition were done. In Leaf extract, the free amino acids like L-Tyrosine, DL-Valine and L-Argenine HCl Whereas in LPC, DL-Alanine was detected in most of the species. In the present study, maximum free amino acids were detected except proline in leaf extract as well as in leaf protein concentrates of different plant species. In general, the plant species under investigation showed all the essential amino acid except Histidine which was not detects in any of the species.