Nutritional and antioxidant potential of Vigna indica: Insights for functional food development and crop improvement

Vigna indica is Crop Wild Relative (CWR) of widely cultivated Vigna aconitifolia. In this study, we evaluated the nutritional potential of V. indica seeds collected from five different geographical locations. Proximate composition and mineral content were estimated using AOAC methods, while, phytochemical constituents, antioxidant activity, GC-MS and FTIR profiling was done using methanolic extract of seed powder. The seeds exhibited low moisture content (14–15 %), ash content (4.95–5.00 %), and significant levels of carbohydrates (23.73–35.74 g/100 g) and proteins (35.68–40.99 g/100 g), with protein content particularly high. Seed extracts showed a substantial total phenolic content (82.69 ± 1.14 mg/GAE/100 g), total flavonoid content (58.79 ± 0.24 mg/RE/100 g), total tannin content (28.82 ± 0.72 mg/TAE/100 g), and total alkaloid content (19.48 ± 0.03 mg/CoE/100 g). Although alkaloid content was lower compared other phytochemicals, the high phenolic and flavonoid levels confirmed strong antioxidant capacity, as indicated by DPPH (79.17 ± 1.12–81.26 ± 0.15 mg RSA/100 g), FRAP (62.12 ± 0.27–66.12 ± 0.09 mg Fe/100 g), and phosphomolybdenum (2.09 ± 0.48–2.38 ± 0.82 mg AAE/100 g) assays. FTIR profiling revealed the presence of various functional groups of chemical compounds, while GC-MS analysis identified bioactive compounds in the seed extract. Overall, the findings provide valuable insights into the nutritional and phytochemical composition of Vigna indica seeds, highlighting their potential for use in functional foods and in crop improvement programs aimed at enhancing the nutritional content and health-promoting properties of V. aconitifolia. •The study assessed the nutritional potential of Vigna indica seeds focusing on proximate composition and mineral content.•The methanolic seed extract showed high levels of TPC, TFC, TTC, and TAC, indicates a strong antioxidant capacity.•FTIR profiling revealed various functional groups of chemical compounds.•GC-MS analysis identified bioactive compounds in the seed extract.•Study offers an insight into their potential use in developing functional foods and crop improvement programs.