Potentials of Kerstingiella geocarpa as a health food.

The seed of Kerstingiella geocarpa was analyzed to determine its proximate and amino acid compositions. The seed was found to be a high source of crude protein (21.3%) and very low in crude fat (1.0%). Arginine, an amino acid for pediatric growth, was the most concentrated amino acid in the seed. Arginine (9.3 g/100 g of crude protein), histidine (2.1 g/100 g of crude protein), and phenylalanine (3.2 g/100 g of crude protein) concentrations in the seed were found in higher levels than the recommended Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization amino acid requirement pattern for the preschool age group. The total essential amino acid content in K. geocarpa seed was 42.0%. The lysine:arginine ratio calculated to estimate the seed atherogenic potential was 0.3. This shows that K. geocarpa seed protein will not exert a hypercholesterolemia effect on the consumer. Futhermore, incorporation of the seed into diets of experimental rats resulted in hematological parameters comparable with those of casein control-fed rats. These findings show this seed could be an important source of food that holds promise in medicinal nutrition.