African yam beans (Sphenostylis stenocarpa) is a tropical luminous plant with good nutritional qualities. The plant grows seed above ground and their yield is of a good standard to use as a food crop. The seeds contain about 14 % protein and 80 % starch which as with many pulses makes them a good source of protein. One interesting thing about the African yam bean is that the amino acid is better than other legumes, with an amino acid profile that is close to hen’s eggs. This is an important nutritional consideration because normally legumes are low in the amino acid methionine. This means that other legumes tend not to provide enough essential amino acids in the correct ratio to support human life. However, African yam beans appear to offer this potential which makes them nutritionally superior. The seeds are non-toxic and taste a little like potatoes when cooked and would therefore make a good agricultural crop. So far the nutritional potential of the plant has largely been overlooked commercially.
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