Cassia Fistula Seeds Nutritional Profile; An Insight into its Therapeutic Potentials

Cassia fistula has long been thought as ornamental plant due to its attractive leaves and the seeds has been regarded as waste product particularly in Nigeria. However, due to its numerous therapeutic attributes, it has remarkably gained popularity in Asian and African countries. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the important biological metabolites inherent in the Cassia fistula seeds using high throughput analytical instrumentations.The investigated seeds appeared to be good sources of magnesium,potassium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc iron, but the selenium and copper content were deficient when compared with Recommended Dietary Allowance. The essential amino acids contents were found to be relatively high in the seeds with highest values of Arginine of 8.90605%. The essential amino acid profiles of seeds were compared favorably with FAO/WHO (1991) requirement pattern when compared to recommended amino acids scores. Fatty acid profiles revealed that the seed samples is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids with values of 31.8658% and polyunsaturated fatty acids (44.9563%) with low saturated fatty acids.The study provides evidence thatCassia fistulaseeds contain essential amino acids, minerals which could be of interest for the development of new drugs and it could be valuable as an additives, supplement for animal feeds, nutraceuticals and therapeutic medicine.