Nutri-biochemical composition of Asteracantha longifolia

Asteracantha longifolia, a semi aquatic plant, is distributed widely throughout India including Nepal, Sri Lanka, Burma and Malaysia. The yield of fresh stem of Asteracantha longifolia at i ts pre-flowering stage was observed to be 13.43±0.29%. The hot water extracts yielded 12.95±0.06% of dry weight of stem. The proximate analysis values of stem on dry matter basis were found to be crude protein (8.268±0.033%), ash (16.007±0.049%), ether extract (2.815±0.025%), crude f iber (31.683±0.020%) and nitrogen free extract (41.235±0.047%). The quantitative phytochemical investigations have demonstrated the presence of adequate quantity of phenolics and flavonoids that are fundamental for maintaining heal th and production. Mineral concentration of dried stem powder and hot water extract evidenced that hot water extract contained a signif icantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) concentration of sodium, potassium, manganese, copper, zinc, calcium and magnesium than the stem powder, but i ron concentration was found signif icantly higher (p≤0.05) in stem powder. The incorporation of Asteracantha longifolia can be a potential source of antioxidants, macro and micro minerals for manufacturing nutraceuticals and enhancing feed quality.