Nutraceutical evaluation of Evolvulus alsinoides (L.,) L. a browse species collected from the wild around Selwane Village, Limpopo Province, South Africa

•The nutraceutical quality of E. alsinoides was evaluated for the first time.•E. alsinoides contained appreciable amounts of macro and micro nutritional elements.•E. alsinoides is a nutritious source of essential and non-essential amino acids for livestock.•FTIR and GC–MS analyses revealed the presence of bioactive phytochemicals.•Phytate and oxalate content analysis revealed safe consumption for livestock. In South Africa, forbs make up the largest component of herbaceous species in grassland and savanna ecosystems, contributing significantly to nutritional food items for herbivores at certain times of the year. However, there are limited reports on the nutraceutical value of native forb species. Here, the proximate composition and the mineral, amino acid and antinutrient content of Evolvulus alsinoides, a commonly browsed forb species in South Africa, were evaluated for the first time. In addition, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) were applied for chemical analyses of pulverized samples and crude extracts. Proximate analysis revealed the presence of crude protein (11.07±0.10%), carbohydrate (75.37±0.12%), moisture (4.26±0.23%), crude fat (1.8 ± 0.09%), crude fibre (29.2 ± 0.72%), ash (8.34±0.16%), neutral detergent fibre (44.40±0.15%), acid detergent fibre (44.04±0.03%), and an energy value of 361.68±0.10 Kcal/100g. Elemental composition showed that potassium (2.29 ± 0.04%) and iron (1276.67 ± 34.84 mg/kg) were predominant amongst the macro and trace minerals, respectively. Additionally, essential amino acids such as valine, phenylalanine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, histidine, lysine, tryptophan, and threonine were present in E. alsinoides. The antinutrients evaluated (oxalate 0.00438 ± 0.12 mg/g and phytate 1.16 ± 0.02%) were below toxic levels. The FTIR spectrum of the pulverized plant sample revealed the presence of different functional groups, including OH, C − H, C H, C − O, and C = C, indicating the presence of different metabolites in the plant. A total of 196 compounds class consisting of several sub-groups of terpenoids, fatty acids, fatty alcohol, fatty esters, steroids, some volatile organic compounds, phenols, alkaloids, saponin, and glycosides were identified from the GC–MS analysis of n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of E. alsinoides. Overall, we conclude that E. alsinoides has high-quality nutrient resources for livestock and nutraceutical value of beneficial