Fatty acid characteristics of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) in an East Mediterranean environment

Abstract

Lathyrus sativus L., (grass pea) is an annual plant widely grown as a pulse crop and its dried seeds are harvested and consumed as human food since ancient times. This plant is also commonly grown for animal feed and forage. Grass pea seeds may represent a potential source of several important nutrients for human and animal nutrition. Fatty acid compositions of 173 different grass pea accessions have been studied. Present results indicate that total saturated fatty acids, total monounsaturated fatty acids, total polyunsaturated fatty acids, and total fatty acids ranged from 295.72 to 436.94, 113.19 to 170.78, 127.39 to 179.39, 538.04 to 778.98 mg 100 g⁻¹, respectively. In addition, unsaturated fatty acids, oleic acid, linoleic acid, γ-linolenic acid, and α-linolenic acid that are the main components of fatty acids ranged from 109.22 to 163.95,59.57 to 82.98, 16.18 to 30.38, and 45.56 to 71.59 mg 100 g⁻¹, respectively.

Keywords:

• Lathyrus sativus L.
• fatty acids
• nutrition
• mediterranean environment

Public Interest Statement

Grasspea, an orphan legume of the arid areas is a good alternative and “insurance crop” in areas that are prone to abiotic stresses. Grass pea has a number of advantages in respect to its properties such as its high protein content, a high yield potential, low fertilization levels, its tolerance to flood or salinity, drought survival. This plant is also commonly grown for animal feed and forage. Grass pea seeds may represent a potential source of several important nutrients for human and animal nutrition. Although the seeds of L. sativus have been consumed for centuries as a legume, the plant is not intensively cultivated in Turkey. Recently, the interest in its cultivation has been increased, but still there is little information on the nutritional value of this legume. In this study, the fatty acid profile of 173 grass pea genotypes was determined. The results show that grass pea is rich in fatty acids and there is a wide variation between genotypes.

Acknowledgements

The author gratefully acknowledges the Akdeniz University Scientific Research Project Unit. A special thanks would like to Dr Mehmet Oten from BATEM for providing plant materials and Mr Taner Erkaymaz from Akdeniz University, Food and Agricultural Research Laboratory for the helps in fatty acid analysis.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mehmet Arslan

Mehmet Arslan graduated from Akdeniz University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Field Crops in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree, in 2003 with his master’s degree and in 2008 with his PhD in the field of Agronomy and Breeding of Forage Crops. He is still working as a lecturer in Faculty of Agriculture, Department of FieldCrops, Akdeniz University. He deals with species and varieties of forage plants, which are tolerant to the effects of abiotic stress factors such as global climate change, drought, and salinity. In this respect, He is conducting researches which are based on agronomic, morphological, phenological characteristics in Lathyrus sativus genotypes, which are collected from nature. At the same time, he goes on with quality-based research on silage, an important food source for animal nutrition.