Y. R. Deshmukh, S. S. Thorat and S. R. Mhalaskar
Abstract
Garden cress (GC) is a fast-growing edible plant. Seeds, leaves and roots of GC are of economic importance; however, the crop is mainly cultivated for seeds. GC seeds have been used in traditional medicine since ancient times in India. Despite its great medicinal value, L. sativum has not received the attention it deserves and has remained an under-utilized crop altogether. In present study physico-chemical properties of garden cress seeds, fatty acids and tocopherol content of its oil was determined. Results revealed that true and bulk densities of GC seeds were found to be 0.76 and 1.25 g/mL, porosity 39.2 per cent and angle of repose 19º respectively. Three fractions of seed such as whole meal, endosperm and bran were separated and analyzed for proximate composition which revealed that it is good source of protein, fibers and oil. It is also good source of minerals such as calcium, phosphorous, iron and zinc. GC oil showed high amount of tocopherol (971.6 ppm) and PUFA in which alpha linolenic acid was the major fatty acid.