QUALITATIVE PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF MACROTYLOMA UNIFLORUM (HORSE GRAM) SEEDS

Macrotyloma uniflorum commonly known as horse gram (kollu in tamil) is a legume cultivated only in South Asian countries and is known for its nutritive and therapeutic properties. The present study aims to qualitatively identify the various phytochemical compounds present in the seed extract of M. uniflorumusing different solvent extraction systems viz. methanolic, ethanolic, chloroform, aqueous and hydro- alcoholic solvents. The results revealed that the methanolic and ethanolic extraction systems are most effective, leading to detection of an array of phytoconstituents viz., alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, triterpenoids, sterols, saponins and glycosides in M. uniflorum seeds. The study thus highlights the effectiveness of methanolic and ethanolic extract in extracting a diverse array of bioactive metabolites, supporting the potential of M. uniflorum seeds as a valuable resource for medicinal and nutraceutical applications.