Amino acid composition of storage proteins of a promising chickpea (Cicer arietinum L) cultivar

Abstract

The amino acid compositions of flours made from the cotyledons and from the whole seeds of a disease-resistant, stable and high-yielding cultivar of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L) cv H75-35, known locally as Gaurav, have been analysed. These, together with similar analyses of the albumin, globulin, legumin and vicilin protein fractions, have been compared with those of other legumes. Seed protein content was 19.8 % with globulin constituting 62.4 % of the total seed protein. The ratios of albumin to globulin and legumin to vicilin were 1:4 and 6:1, respectively. The proportion of basic amino acids in the albumin was low whereas the reverse was true in the globulin. The legumin fraction seems to be superior in terms of total essential amino acids to those from other sources. Sulphur amino acids were the most limiting, followed by tryptophan or threonine depending on the fraction. However, the ratio of methionine to cystine was high (2.76:1). The extent of the sulphur amino acid deficiency was assessed, and possible approaches for its improvement are outlined.