The worldwide output of agriculture is
unable to meet even the most basic needs
of a sizable fraction of humanity suffering
from hunger and malnutrition. Yet, global
food security is increasingly based on a
narrow range of animal and plant species.
About 95% of the worlds’ food energy
needs is provided by just 30 plant species
and 50% of the requirement for protein and
calories is met just by maize, wheat and
rice [1]. But there are many underutilized
crops that can make important contributions to the nutrition and health of
people in developing countries. The species
of leguminosae includes very important
vegetable crops due to its high protein
content in seeds as well as in tubers and the
moderate oil content in its seeds.
Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.,
commonly known as ‘winged bean’ is an
underutilized leguminous crop, which
received less research attention since
emphasis has been on cash crops [2].
The attractive features of the plant are, the
whole plant is edible and all the parts are highly protenaceous when compared to
other plants. The tubers contain 20%
protein in dry weight. This amount is
superior to other tubers such as Yam (2%),
Cassava (1%), and Sweet potato (2%). The
percentage of crude protein of the seeds
(29.8-37.5%) is comparable to that of other
legumes [3].