NUTRIENT COMPOSITION AND IN VITRO GLYCEMIC INDEX OF LOTUS SEEDS HARVESTED AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF MATURATION

Lotus seeds are rich in nutrients and contain a variety of mineral elements, protein, fat, dietary fiber and other compounds necessary for the human body. This paper focuses on studying the changes in nutrient and mineral element contents, and glycemic index (GI) in fresh Lotus seeds harvested at different stages of maturity. The results show that nutrient and mineral element contents in fresh Lotus seeds differed significantly between the four maturity stages, with all measured components increasing in concentration, with the notable exception of sodium content, as the water content of the seeds falls during the maturation process. There are a rich variety of amino acids in fresh Lotus seeds, but the relative content of each individual amino acid is not uniform. Methionine is the first limiting amino acid in Lotus seeds. As maturation progresses, the GI of the fresh Lotus seeds follows a declining trend, but all GI values are greater than 70. Hence, fresh Lotus seeds belong to the group of foods with a high GI. These results provide a theoretical basis for scientific selection of optimal harvest time of Lotus seed materials.