| Abstract: | Excessive consumption of Lathyrus sativus leads to crippling, irreversible paralysis of both lower limbs, mainly in males. This is attributed to the presence of a non‐protein amino acid, β‐N‐oxalyl‐L ‐2,3‐diaminopropionic acid or β‐N‐oxalylamino‐L ‐alanine. Using a thin layer chromatography method developed in our laboratory, adulteration of chickpea and red gram with L sativus in pressure‐cooked batters could be detected at levels of 100 and 200 g kg?1 respectively. When processed as a curried liquid dal, L sativus could be detected at 200 g kg?1 in chickpea and 100 g kg?1 in red gram. Processing into fried bhajiyas resulted in a detection limit of 200 g kg?1 in both red gram and chickpea. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry |
