A review on health benefits, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean).

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean) is an African legume that belongs to the family and subfamily of Fabaceae and Faboidea, respectively. It is becoming one of the most utilized legumes after being underutilized for many years in Africa. It is the third most significant legume after groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) and cowpea (Vigna hypogea). Bambara groundnut (BGN) is a complete food because of its richness in nutritional properties such as crude fiber, iron, protein, carbohydrate, fat and minerals. Moreover, BGN possesses antioxidants properties as it contains phytochemicals, such as tannins, flavonoids and phytic acids which possess health benefits for humans such as preventing diabetes, stroke, atherosclerosis, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, these phytochemicals extend the shelf life of food products and have antimicrobial properties which can inhibit microbial growth. This paper highlights the current findings on BGN nutritional composition, health benefits, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Therefore, it is advisable for food industry to exploit BGN grain to its full potential to tackle challenges of food security and nutrition globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]