A Comparative Study on β‐ODAP Level, Polyphenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity Across Three Lathyrus sativus L. Cultivars

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is an old crop highly resistant to climate changes and drought. Despite its nutritional benefits, it represents a source of β-ODAP, a non-protein amino acid which causes neurolathyrism. This study aims to determine the β-ODAP content of three different Italian cultivars of grass pea collected in Umbria and Puglia. An aqueous extraction of each grass pea sample was carried out and analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with a Diode Array Detector (DAD) after Fmoc-derivatization to quantify β-ODAP. Furthermore, the polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity of each grass pea sample have been evaluated by performing spectrophotometric analysis. The β-ODAP content ranged from 0.01 mg/g to 0.037 mg/g of grass pea powder, resulting in being higher in the biological cultivar. Sample C (Puglia grass pea) showed the best antioxidant activity. Overall, these results encourage the cultivation of this crop and prompt further studies on the biofunctional properties of this resistant legume.