Metabolite Profiling and Antioxidant Evaluation of Cleome gynandra Seeds

Abstract

Cleome gynandra L. is an underutilised indigenous leafy vegetable widely recognised for its nutritional, medicinal and ethnobotanical significance across Africa and Asia. Despite extensive studies on its leaves, information on the nutritional and functional properties of its seeds, particularly among West African germplasm, remains limited. This study investigated the nutritional composition, mineral and vitamin contents, fatty acid profile, amino acid composition, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of eleven C. gynandra seed accessions obtained from diverse West African germplasm sources. Seed samples were processed into flour and analysed using standard biochemical, chromatographic and spectrophotometric methods. Significant variation was observed among accessions for all nutritional parameters evaluated. Proximate analysis revealed moisture, ash, crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre and carbohydrate contents that varied considerably across accessions. Crude fat content ranged from 2.93% to 30.89%, while carbohydrate content ranged from 31.86% to 64.43%, indicating substantial diversity in energy-yielding nutrients. Mineral analysis confirmed the presence of essential elements, including calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc, although their concentrations differed significantly among accessions. Likewise, vitamin composition exhibited notable accession-dependent variation. Fatty acid profiling demonstrated differences in saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid fractions, with oleic, linoleic, α-linolenic, palmitic, stearic, lauric and myristic acids constituting the major fatty acids detected. Amino acid analysis identified both essential and non-essential amino acids, suggesting that C. gynandra seeds possess appreciable protein quality and nutritional value. Antioxidant evaluation revealed considerable variability among accessions, with DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀) ranging from 12.4 to 78.5 µg/mL and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) values ranging from 6.14 to 13.70 mg GAE/mL. Total phenolic content varied from 1.67 to 3.45 mg GAE/g, indicating differences in bioactive compound accumulation among accessions. The observed nutritional and biochemical diversity highlights the potential of C. gynandra seeds as sources of nutrients and bioactive phytochemicals. These findings provide a scientific basis for the selection and utilisation of superior accessions in crop improvement, food fortification, nutraceutical development and functional food applications.