Modified Plant Metabolites as Nutraceuticals

Abstract

Plants harbor a wide range of organic compounds, and based on their direct participation in growth, development, and well-being of host, these organic compounds are mainly referred to as primary or secondary metabolites. The primary metabolites, distributed among all plants, perform essential metabolic roles. Phyto sterols, acyl lipids, nucleotides, amino acids, and organic acids are present in all plants and these compounds are directly involved in their metabolism forming obvious examples of primary metabolites. In contrast, secondary metabolites do not appear to participate directly in growth and development, but they play important roles in the adaptation of plants to their environment. These substances are often differentially distributed among limited taxonomic groups within the plant kingdom and have wide range of chemical structures. In traditional medicine, secondary metabolites have been used for centuries due to their significant biological activities and they find applications in fine chemicals, pharmaceutics, flavors, pesticides, cosmetics, fragrances, and more recently in nutraceuticals (functional foods). Nutraceuticals are food or part of food that perform important roles in providing health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of various diseases. The basic principle of herbal nutraceuticals is to prevent nutritionally induced acute and chronic diseases, thereby promoting optimal health, longevity, and quality of life. Fermentation is an effective protocol of enhancing the value of nutraceuticals. Ayurvedic system of medicine had adopted methods for preparing fermented plant extracts several millennia ago, that could be equated to present-day nutraceuticals.