Basic crops such as wheat and maize are not cultivated easily in the central highlands of Mexico, but pods of mesquite (Prosopis laevigata), a N2−fixing plant that dominates the vegetation, could be used as an additional food source. The physicochemical and functional properties and nutritional value of whole mesquite pod flour dried at 60 °C and 70 °C and muffins prepared with the mesquite flour were investigated. Drying temperature did not change the true protein concentration of the whole mesquite pod flour, that is, 97%. The digestibility for pod toasted at 70 °C was 78% compared to 77% at 60 °C, tannin content was 58% and 48% while trypsin inhibitor was 347 and 495 unit of inhibition (UI)/g sample, respectively. Functional characteristics of whole mesquite pod flour were similar to those of bean flour (Phaseolus vulgaris), and superior to those of whole wheat flour (Triticum sp). Mesquite proteins were high in tryptophan and histidine. Sensorial analysis scores for products made with whole mesquite flour were high. The results of this work suggested that whole mesquite pod flour could be used as a supplement for human consumption.
An in vitro presymbiotic system between mesquite [Prosopis laevigata(Willd.) M.C. Johnst], a semi-arid leguminous plant, and pregerminated spores of Gigaspora rosea Nicol. & Schenck was established. After characteristic hyphal branching, high performance liquid chromatographic analyses of methanol extracts from P. laevigata roots revealed a concentration change in one ultraviolet-detectable product. This product was identified by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry as trigonelline, a pyridine alkaloid. The concentration of trigonelline was constant in the aerial parts of the plant with or without G. rosea, but its concentration in the roots increased 1.8-fold when G. roseawas present. Trigonelline may be a regulatory factor during early signal events in the establishment of the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in P. laevigata.
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