Edaphoclimatic Modulation of Nutritional Quality, Bioactivity, and Metabolomic Profiles of Grass Pea ( <scp> <i>Lathyrus sativus</i> </scp> <i>L</i> .) Seeds

Abstract

ABSTRACT Lathyrus sativus L. (grass pea) has been receiving growing interest because of its drought resistance and its adaptation to low‐input farming systems, but the biochemical adaptations of L. sativus to divergent environmental conditions are poorly comprehended. The work assessed the consequences of local and climatic differences in proximate composition, phenolic and flavonoid content, antioxidants, antibacterial, and anti‐inflammatory action, and untargeted LCMS/MS metabolomic profiles of L. sativus seeds grown in two Algerian systems: a semi‐arid highland, Ain Defla, and a sub‐humid plain, Sidi Bel Abbès. Ain Defla seeds contained more dry matter (89.2%), crude protein (28.5%), and crude fiber (6.1%) than Sidi Bel Abbès (88.1%, 26.9%, and 5.4%), and the lipid content in Ain Defla was a bit higher (2.8% vs. 2.3%). The total phenols were more in Ain Defla (8.64 ± 0.31 mg GAE g −1 DW), and flavonoids and condensed tannins were more in Sidi Bel Abbès. Extracts of Ain Defla had greater antioxidant potential in DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and TBARS, whereas Sidi Bel Abbès extracts were observed to have better antibacterial strength, especially against Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes . LCMS/MS analysis showed the presence of 42 major metabolites, which occupy different regional chemotypes dominated by phenolic acids in Ain Defla, and flavanols and procyanidins in Sidi Bel Abbès. These results support the notion that L. sativus is biochemically flexible and a promising multifunctional legume in agri‐food systems.