Canadian sainfoin and fenugreek as forage and functional foods

Abstract

Abstract Sainfoin ( Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) and fenugreek ( Trigonella foenum‐graecum L.) are two legumes that are being developed as forage crops in Canada with potential benefits for animal and human health. Sainfoin, a perennial crop containing condensed tannins (CTs), is gaining popularity in western Canada because of its benefits for cattle. Its CTs make the crop bloat‐free for grazing cattle while improving protein digestibility and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The CT‐containing fenugreek is also considered as a bloat‐free annual forage legume that was developed to serve in short‐term crop rotations in western Canada. These crops are known to provide health and nutritional benefits to cattle with their high protein content and other beneficial nutraceuticals such as crude fiber, 4‐hydroxyisoleucine, steroid sapogenins, and galactomannans. Some of these nutraceuticals have the potential to benefit human health; however, such attributes have not been studied enough to harness the full potential of these legume crops in Canada. Recent research suggests that legumes are a healthy substitute for meat. However, metabolite analysis of sainfoin is mostly limited to proteins and CTs. The CTs reported in sainfoin are involved in reduction of blood pressure and detoxification and providing anticancer properties in humans. Recent studies on fenugreek have highlighted the beneficial nutraceuticals associated with human health but most of those claims are not backed by relevant clinical studies. In this article, we reviewed the nutritional quality attributes of sainfoin and fenugreek and assessed their potential as functional foods and nutraceuticals for animal and human health based on scientific evidence.