Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems, 15 (2012) : 539 - 556 539 COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT ON THE NUTRITIONAL AND ANTINUTRITIONAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE UNDERUTILIZED LEGUMES, Canavalia gladiata (JACQ.) DC, Erythrina indica LAM. AND Abrus precatorius L. [EVALUACIÓN COMPARATIVA DE LOS ATRIBUTOS NUTRICIONALES Y ANTINUTRICIONALES DE LEGUMINOSAS SUBUTILIZADAS, Canavalia gladiata (JACQ.) DC, Erythrina indica LAM. Y Abrus precatorius L] Pious Soris Tresina and Veerabahu Ramasamy Mohan* Ethnopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Botany, V.O.Chidambaram College, Tuticorin-628008, Tamil Nadu, India. E-mail: vrmohan_2005@yahoo.com *Corresponding author SUMMARY The seed samples of Canavalia gladiata, Erythrina indica and Abrus precatorius (red and black coloured seed coat and white coloured seed coat) were collected from the regions of Tamil Nadu and analyzed for their chemical composition with a view to evaluate their nutritional potential. The proximate composition revealed that, all the presently investigated seed samples were found to contain high content of crude protein and crude lipid. Mineral profiles were also analyzed in all the seed samples. All the investigated pulses appeared to be good sources of potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper and manganese content were deficient when compared with Recommended Dietary Allowance (NRC/NAS, 1980, 1989). Vitamins (niacin and ascorbic acid) contents were found to be relatively high in the investigated pulses. The essential amino acid profiles of total seed proteins were compared favorably with FAO/WHO (1991) requirement pattern. Fatty acid profiles revealed that, all the investigated seed samples had rich unsaturated fatty acids (55.60-72.04%) and very high content of linoleic acid (24.16-34.14%). The IVPD of the investigated tribal pulses ranged from 63.31-71.36%. Antinutritional factors like total free phenolics, tannins, L-DOPA, phytic acid, hydrogen cyanide, trypsin inhibitor, oligosaccharides and phytohaemagglutinating activity were analyzed. Key words: Legumes; nutritive value. RESUMEN Se colectaron muestras de semillas de of Canavalia gladiata, Erythrina indica y Abrus precatorius (roja y negra, semilla de cascara colorada y semilla de cascara blanca) de las regiones de Tamil Nadu y se analizó su composición química con la visión de evaluar su potencial nutricional. La composición proximal reveló que todas las muestras investigadas de semillas contenían altos niveles de proteína cruda y grasa. Los perfiles de minerales fueron también analizados en todas las muestras. Todas las muestras parecieron tener buenas fuentes de potasio, magnesio, sodio, calcio, fosforo, hierro, zinc, cobre, el contenido de manganeso fue deficiente cuando se comparó con los requerimentos diarios en la dieta (NRC/NAS, 1980, 1989). Los contenidos de vitaminas (niacina y ácido ascórbico) fueron relativamente altos en todas las muestras investigadas. Los perfiles de aminoácidos esenciales del total de proteína de la semilla se compararon favorablemente con los patrones de requerimientos de la FAO/WHO (1991). Los perfiles de ácidos grasos revelaron que todas las muestras de semilla fueron ricas en ácidos grasos insaturados (55.60-72.04) y muy altos niveles de ácido linoleico (24.16-34.14%). El IVPD de las muestras estuvo en un rango de 63.31-71.36%. Se analizaron los factores antinutricionales como fenoles totales, taninos, L-DOPA, ácido fítico, hidrogeno ciánico, inhibidor de tripsina, oligosacáridos y fitohematoaglutinación. Palabras clave: Leguminosas; valor nutritivo. INTRODUCTION Legumes are widely grown throughout the world and their dietary and economic importance is globally appreciated and recognized. Legumes not only add variety to diet but also serve as an economical source of supplementary proteins for a large human population. In India, they provide the only high protein component of the average diet and over 10 million tones are consumed annually (Sood et al.,