Rediscovering the Potential of Multifaceted Orphan Legume Grasspea- a Sustainable Resource With High Nutritional Values

Abstract

The genus Lathyrus consists of more than 184 herbaceous annual and perennial species suitable for multifaceted sustainable food and feed production system in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world. The grasspea is a promising source of protein nutrition. However, its potential is not being utilized fully due to the presence of neurotoxin content (β-N-oxalyl-l-α, β diaminopropionic acid, β-ODAP), a causal agent of non-reversible lower limbs paralysis. The high protein contents in seeds and leaves with ~90% digestibility make it sustainable super food to beat protein malnutrition in future. Therefore, it is desired to breed new grasspea cultivars with low β-ODAP contents. Limited research has been carried out to date about this feature. A draft genome sequence of grasspea has been recently published that is expected to play a vital role in breeding and identifying the genes responsible for biosynthesis pathway of β-ODAP contents in grasspea. Efforts to increase awareness about the importance of genus Lathyrus and detoxify β-ODAP in grasspea are desired and are in progress. Presently, in South Asia, systematic and dedicated efforts to support the farmers in the grasspea growing regions by disseminating low β-ODAP varieties has resulted in a considerable improvement in reducing the incidence of neurolathyrism. It is expected that the situation will improve further by mainstreaming grasspea cultivation by implementing different approaches such as the development and use of low β-ODAP varieties, strengthening government policies and improved detox methods. The present review provides insight into the multifaceted characteristics of sustainable nutritious grasspea in the global and Indian perspective.

High Inter- and Intra- Diversity of Amino Acid Content and Protein Digestibility Disclosed in Five Cool Season Legume Species with a Growing Market Demand

“…In fact, the grass pea has been highlighted as one of the grain legumes with the highest protein content showing, for Indian LS cultivars (Prateek and LP-24) mature seeds, protein values between 33.26 and 39.24% [ 24 ]. Aside from the high protein content in LS seeds, a wide intra-variability, with values ranging between 8.6% and 32.2%, was previously reported for 40 genotypes of Indian LS and attributed to genetic and environmental factors [ 25 , 26 ]. In addition to these factors, differences in the analytical methodologies applied for the protein analysis (Kjeldahl method from the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, AOAC, Dumas’s combustion method to determine nitrogen percentage, or near infrared spectroscopy, NIR) may impair data comparison among different studies, as revised for the lentils protein content [ 27 ].…”

Alternative Protein Sources and Novel Foods: Benefits, Food Applications and Safety Issues

“…Grass pea ( Lathyrus sativus L.) is a member of the Fabaceae ( Leguminosae ) family, subfamily Papilionoideae , tribe Vicieae, representing an important annual legume crop cultivated in several areas of the world in South, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, and East Africa [ 42 , 43 ], with production estimated at 1.2 million tons [ 44 ]. Grass pea seeds are used as a pulse, dahl, and flour to prepare different savories, sweets, and snacks.…”

“…Grass pea seeds are used as a pulse, dahl, and flour to prepare different savories, sweets, and snacks. Seeds contain about 8.6–34.6% proteins, higher than chickpea (18%), field pea (21%), French bean (20%), and similar to other legumes, they are rich in lysine (18.4–20.4 mg/kg) but low in sulfur-containing amino acids, ranging from 3.8–4.3 mg/kg in cysteine and 2.5–2.8 mg/kg in methionine [ 43 ]. Interestingly, grass pea was found to be the only known dietary source of l-homoarginine, which has been shown to provide benefits in cardiovascular disease treatments.…”

Ensuring Global Food Security by Improving Protein Content in Major Grain Legumes Using Breeding and ‘Omics’ Tools

“…8.6-34.6% [42] Methionine, cysteine Chickpea (Cicer erietinum L.) SPC ranges from 17 to 22% before dehulling and 25.3 to 28.9% after dehulling [14,15] (see Table 1). Chickpea seed contains two main proteins-globulin (11S legumin and 7S vicilin) and albumin-with low amounts of glutelins and prolamine; however, the seed is deficient in cysteine and methionine amino acids [43,44].…”