Quantitative Analysis of Mineral Content in Seeds of Mucuna Pruriens L. Using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy

Abstract

Currently, the use of medicinal plants and traditional medicine plays an important role in the public health sector due to increasing trends in the future, especially in developing countries. In the Lao PDR, there is a wealth of natural resources that are medicine, and the people have been using them continuously from generation to generation until the present day. Mucuna pruriens (M. pruriens) seeds have been reported to treat Parkinson's disease and enhance male sexual performance among indigenous communities in Southeast Asia and India. The M. pruriens seed has a high nutritional value and contains essential elements. Research to determine the concentration of critical nutrients in M. pruriens seeds will be a crucial determinant of the plant's efficacy, quality, and added value when used as a food supplement or medication. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the mineral content of the M. pruriens seed collected from the Lao PDR using an atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS). The results revealed that iron (Fe) was present in the highest concentration, with an average of 177.93 ± 79.37 ppm, followed by manganese (Mn) at 126.21 ± 75.21 ppm and copper (Cu) at 79.93 ± 22.22 ppm, respectively. The validation of the analytical method found that the LOD value was 0.011-0.017 ppm and the LOQ was 0.034-0.053 ppm. The linearity values for Fe, Cu, and Mn were y=0.0731x + 0.0127, R²=0.9968; y=0.1395x + 0.0032, R²=0.9987, and y=0.2319x + 0.0024, R²=0.9995. Among the samples analyzed, those from Khammouane Province showed the highest levels of Cu, Fe, and Mn. The study’s findings indicate that the M. pruriens seeds obtained in the Lao PDR are rich in nutrients and have the potential to be developed further as a dietary supplement to enhance prospective sexual health.