Abstract
Abelmoschus esculentus has fruit popularly known as okra and belongs to the Malvaceae family. It is commonly used in cooking but also in traditional medicine in the treatment of worms, dysentery, inflammation, and also irritation of the stomach, intestines, and kidneys, as it is a potential functional food. Its mucilage is a highly viscous polysaccharide that is mostly composed of monosaccharides D-galactose, L-rhamnose, and galacturonic acid, as well as proteins and minerals. The functional properties of okra mucilage have been widely studied, mainly for its potential antidiabetic activity; thus, its use as adjuvant or nutraceutical therapy for diabetes is very promising. Due to its rheological properties, it is a potential resource for pharmaceutical and food applications. Okra mucilage can be extracted by several methods, which can directly influence its physicochemical characteristics and biological activity. Features such as low cost, non-toxicity, biocompatibility, and high availability in nature arouse the interest of researchers for the study of okra mucilage. The survey of research on the applications of okra mucilage highlights the importance of using this promising source of bioactive compounds with interesting technological properties. The potential of okra as a functional food, the properties of okra mucilage, and its technological applications are discussed in this review.
Highlights
IntroductionAbelmoschus esculentus L. is popularly known as okra or lady’s finger
Accepted: 11 August 2021Abelmoschus esculentus L. is popularly known as okra or lady’s finger
This paper aims to highlight the benefits of this fruit as a low-cost raw matelow-cost raw material and a promising natural alternative in several areas, including its rial promising natural alternative several areas, including its use as a functional use and as a afunctional food, thein use of okra mucilage as a technological resource food, the use of mucilage with interesting properties forokra industry use. as a technological resource with interesting properties for industry use
Summary
Abelmoschus esculentus L. is popularly known as okra or lady’s finger. It belongs to the Malvaceae family, native to Africa, and is cultivated in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates in different countries from Africa to Asia, Southern Europe, and America [1,2]. Okra, originating in Ethiopia and propagated in North Africa, the Mediterranean, Arabia, and India is of great economic importance in the subtropical regions of the world [3]. Okra fruit has a high moisture content, it is rich in nutrients, and it is a great source of vitamins and minerals. The fruits, seeds, and leaves of okra have applications due to their composition and properties (Figure 1)
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