Fatty acid, amino acid, and mineral composition of four common vetch seeds on Qinghai-Tibetan plateau

The chemical composition of four common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) seeds was investigated to determine their nutrition value. The result shows that the seeds are low in lipid (1.55–2.74% of dry weight), and high in the unsaturated fatty acid (74.51–77.36% of total fatty acid). The ratio of essential amino acid to non-essential amino acid (0.62–0.69) is even higher than the amount (0.38) recommended by World Health Organization. Besides, the seeds are also found rich in Mg, Mn and Cu, but with a low ratio of Ca to P (0.24–0.73), which may increase the risk of the mineral element toxicity. The results indicate that the four common vetch seeds could be taken as an alternative food source, but the possible toxic effect should be taken into consideration.