COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF EICHHORNIA CRASSIPES FOR AMINO ACID PROFILING AND NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT
Nuka Lata*, Snehal Moghe and Veenapani Dubey
ABSTRACT
Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) listed as one of the most productive plants on earth and is considered as the world’s worst aquatic weed. It is a severe environmental and economic problem in all of the gulf coast states and in many other areas of the world with a subtropical or tropical climate. Inspite of these, as per our present study we can say “the world’s worst aquatic plant as a best dietary supplement and therapeutic pool’. Understanding the amino acids as basic structural and functional units of proteins, and have immense importance in nutrition, taxonomy and pharmacology; screening of amino acids from different extracts of Eichhornia crassipes was done in our research work. Assessment of chromatograms developed in thin layer chromatography (TLC) showed a total of eleven amino acids in water hyacinth (shoot and rhizome). Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of seven essential amino acids and four non-essential amino acids. The detected amino acids from plant were serine, valine, leucine, mehionine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, lysine, tyrosine, tryptophan, histidine and isoleucine respectively. Present work was also designed to evaluate the nutritional potential of Eichhornia crassipes collected from the water bodies in Bilaspur. Results showed that plant was characterized by high fibre, high protein content, low lipids and low carbohydrates. In addition the anti-nutritive substance (nitrate) level was also determined and found to be safe as feed. The vital study of amino acid spectrum is of great importance on its strategic food and medicinal significance.
Keywords: Amino acid; Eichhornia crassipes; Minerals; Thin Layer Chromatography; Water hyacinth.
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