Abstract
Consumers have given preferences to food products that, in addition to the nutritional properties, also present bioactive characteristics with beneficial health effects. The use of Nonconventional Food Plants (NCFP) has been an asset for the food industry, not only due to its abundance but, also, because it does not compete with other vegetable matrices used for human consumption for its nutritional properties, chemical and bioactive potentiality. The present work aimed to study the granulometry and water absorption index of three seeds of unconventional food plants: niger, millet and birdseed, followed by their nutritional value, content in free sugars, fatty acids, organic acids, tocopherols and phenolic compounds by chromatographic methods and, also, the evaluation of the antioxidant, hepatotoxic and antimicrobial potential in their hydroethanolic extracts. Bakery products were developed with a partial replacement of wheat flour, using the centroid simplex method to understand the effect of applying NCFP flours in the final physical–chemical characteristics. The high granulometry associated with the high water absorption index indicates that the use of NCFP flours would have to be complemented with other flours for baking. The chemical composition of niger seed stood out the most; however, all seeds presented relatively low IC50 and MIC values for the inhibition of lipid peroxidation and antimicrobial activity, respectively. Finally, breads made with a mixture of millet and birdseed flour showed the greatest similarity to the control bread. Considering their composition in bioactive compounds, the use of these seeds is highly advisable in the context of a fortified diet, being sources of compounds of high nutritional value and with beneficial health effects for the final consumer.
Highlights
Nonconventional Food Plants (NCFP) are a group of plants not usually appreciated by the consumers but are considered food, since one or more of its parts can be used for human nutrition, normally presenting very interesting bioactive and nutritional properties and, a low toxicity, and on which the scientific community is focusing, with particular attention to wild species [1]
Since it was not possible to present the variety of the three plants studied, all comparisons performed with other studies throughout the discussion of the results are merely qualitative; the edaphic-climatic and geographic conditions of the plants greatly influence their entire nutritional and chemical composition and, their bioactive properties
According to Silva et al [35], the granulometry study of the flours used for baking is one of the most relevant points in their physical properties, since the size of the constituent particles of the flour will interfere in several quality parameters, such as the water absorption index (WAI) and, in the texture, in the sensorial quality and in the visual aspect of the bread
Summary
Nonconventional Food Plants (NCFP) are a group of plants not usually appreciated by the consumers but are considered food, since one or more of its parts can be used for human nutrition, normally presenting very interesting bioactive and nutritional properties and, a low toxicity, and on which the scientific community is focusing, with particular attention to wild species [1]. P. canariensis seed has a high composition in essential amino acids, micronutrients and fatty acids, with a predominance of linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids [7,8] It is a rich source of phenolic and carotenoid compounds [9], demonstrating antioxidant and antibacterial potential [10]. The profile of G. abyssinica seeds is very similar to those of cardamom, saffron and sunflowers, having a high fatty acid content [4,11] and a good source of tocopherols [11] It presents a high antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiviral capacity and can act in the prevention of several diseases [12,13]. P. miliaceum is described as a good source of fatty acids, predominantly linoleic acid [14], and, a good source of antioxidant compounds, such as phenolic acids and glycosylated flavonoids, known for their prebiotic capabilities [15]
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