Food Value and Phytochemical Composition of Luffa cylindrica Seed Flour

Amino acid, fatty acid and phytochemical compositions of Luffa cylindrica seed flour were investigated. The total amino acid concentration was 72.71g/100g protein and the total essential amino acid concentration was 38.76g/100g protein. Arginine (9.75g/100g protein) was the most concentrated essential amino acid while the Lysine/Arginine ratio was 0.52. The calculated isoelctric point (pI), predicted protein efficiency ratio (P-PER) and limiting amino acid were 5.91, 1.89 and threonine respectively. Linoleic acid (31.47%) was the most abundant fatty acid in the seed flour. Unsaturated fatty acids (66.9%) were of higher concentration than saturated fatty acids (33.07%) while the total concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids was 52.02%. Flavonoids (4.53%) were the most concentrated phytochemical in the Luffa cylindrica seed flour while saponins, alkaloids and cardiac glycosides were also present. This study shows that Luffa cylindrica seed contains a high proportion of essential amino acids and has a low atherogenic potential. Also, it is a potential source of healthy fat that may be useful as source of food nutrient and phytomedicine.