Water Mimosa var. CAU-Ekaithabi: An agronomically superior, nutrient-dense, bioactive-rich aquatic vegetable with emerging potential in functional foods.

Abstract

Water mimosa (Neptunia oleracea) var. CAU-Ekaithabi, an emerging aquatic legume, was evaluated for agronomic, nutritional and phytochemical potential. It consistently demonstrated significantly high growth yield attributes, including a long primary stem, vigorous secondary stem, and higher stem yield. Nutritional analysis revealed statistically high protein, fibre, and carbohydrate, along with mineral profile, especially higher potassium (3022.52 mg/100 g), iron (253.88 mg/100 g), calcium (307.42 mg/100 g) and magnesium (209.34 mg/100 g) and a favourable potassium-to‑sodium ratio (11.17). Phytochemical analyses revealed remarkably high levels of total phenolics, total flavonoids, total antioxidant activity, and vitamin C. The GC-MS and LC-MS profiling identified key bioactives like phytyl linolenate, Neophytadiene, Phytyl linolenate, Pregnenolone, 3,4-Dicaffeoyl-1,5-quinolactone, C-3-G, D-3-G, 9-HOTE, along with some rare phytochemicals with established bioactivities against neurogenerative diseases, offer novel openings for patented nutraceutical formulations and/or targeted therapeutic formulations. This comprehensive investigation establishes the functional food potential of water mimosa and its prospective role in health-centric dietary preparations.