Nutritional Constituents Research Articles

Preliminary Study of The Nutritional Content and Phytochemical Constituent of An Under-Utilised Bitter Melon Plant

Bitter melon (momordica charantia) plant is used for some medicinal purposes in traditional medicine but the food value was investigated. The nutritional compositions and phytochemical constituents of the powdered leaf and fruit were investigated using standard analytical methods. The proximate compositions showed the percentage of moisture content (11.38 ±0.29 and 10.74 ± 0.02), ash (14.39 ±0.02 and 7.40 ± 0.1), crude fat (2.65 ±0.10 and 6.11 ± 0.05), crude fibre (16.11 ±0.04 and 13.61 ± 0.04), crude protein (21.19 ±0.52 and 27.92 ± 0.06), and carbohydrate (33.94 ±0.25 and 34.22 ± 0.11) of samples on a dry weight basis for the leaf and the fruit respectively. Also, the mineral analysis showed the concentration in mg/100g of Ca (239.65 ±0.30 and 70.60 ±0.23), Na (40.40 ±0.04 and 23.47 ±0.02), K (67.22 ±0.02 and 319.25 ±0.03), Fe (4.98 ±0.02 and 5.64 ±0.04), Zn (24.5 ±0.40 and 17.40 ±0.56) and Cu (4.96 ±0.20 and 2.57 ±0.06) of samples on a dry weight basis for the leaf and fruit respectively. Powdered samples of the leaves were extracted with water and ethanol respectively to isolate the required phytochemicals. Phytochemicals like phytate, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, and oxalate were found present in appreciable level except for the glycoside which is present in trace amount in the water extract. The study indicates the presence of nutritional components that are beneficial in addition to the purported numerous medicinal values of the plant. Keywords: Momordica , bitter melon, proximate composition, minerals, phytochemicals. DOI: 10.7176/JNSR12-2-03 Publication date: January 31 st 2021

Seasonal variation of nutritional constituents of some freshwater and marine fishes of South Asian Countries: A critical review

Seasonal variation of nutritional constituents of some freshwater and marine fishes of South Asian Countries: A critical review

Comparison of major nutritional constituents and genetic diversity analysis of five strains of oyster mushrooms

Comparison of major nutritional constituents and genetic diversity analysis of five strains of oyster mushrooms

Sagittaria trifolia tuber: bioconstituents, processing, products, and health benefits.

Sagittaria trifolia is an aquatic plant that is distributed worldwide. The edible tuber part of S. trifolia is a very common and popular vegetable in China. The aim of the present review is to discuss the discovery of nutraceuticals from S. trifolia tuber by reviewing its major constituents, food processing, food products, and health-promoting benefits. Sagittaria trifolia tuber comprises a series of nutritional and bioactive constituents, including dietary fibers, amino acids, minerals, starches, non-starch polysaccharides, diterpenoids, colchicine, phenols, and organic acids. Food processing affects its flavor, biocomponents, and bioactivity. Numerous S. trifolia tuber-based food products and nutraceuticals have been developed, but new categories of products and the anticipated functions still need to be explored. The non-starch polysaccharides could be the central ingredients that contribute to the plant's antioxidant, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, lipid-regulating, and immunostimulatory properties. Of these, antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects have been thoroughly investigated. Procedures for the extraction and purification of polysaccharides influence their health-promoting actions. Overall, S. trifolia tuber is an underutilized aquatic vegetable species that is an emerging subject for nutraceutical research. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Biological activity of phenolics enriched extracts from industrial apple pomace

Apple processing industries around the globe generate huge quantity of pomace as waste material, whose sustainable and cost-effective utilization continually being attempted. In general, industrial apple pomace is a conglomeration of different varieties, however, rich in array of inherited nutritional and phytochemical constituents. In present study, aqueous-ethanol, -methanol and -acetone mediated extractions of phenolics from industrial apple pomace was performed. The obtained extracts from respective solvents were further partitioned with ethyl acetate. The phytochemical evaluation of ethyl acetate fractionated aqueous acetone fraction (APA1), aqueous ethanol fraction (APE1) and aqueous methanol fraction (APM1) by high pressure liquid chromatography and electrospray-ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry showed the presence of phloridzin, phloretin, quercitrin and quercetin as major constituents. The cytotoxic effects of APA1, APM1, and APE1 fractions were evaluated against human cancer cell lines i.e. cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SiHa), oral carcinoma (KB) and colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT-29) cell lines. Significant differences were obtained for oral cancer cells in time and dose dependent manner. Cytotoxicity data validated by clonogenic cell survival assay showed significant inhibition of KB cancer cells by APA1 and APE1 after 24 and 36 h. Caspase 3/7 activity of fractions was also found to be increased in time dependent manner. Furthermore, the flow cytometer analysis revealed that KB cells follow apoptotic and necrotic mechanism for cell death after treatment with APA1 and APE1 fractions for 24 and 30 h. Results also showed significant nitric oxide inhibition in lipopolysaccharide– interferon gamma stimulated mice peritoneal macrophages at different concentrations. Present study established that industrial apple pomace indeed has substantial amount of bioactive phenolics that can be bioprocessed to develop variety of health supplements.

Nutrition and antioxidant profiling in the unpolished and polished grains of eleven indigenous aromatic rice cultivars.

The present study emphasized on the yet-unexplored exhaustive analyses of nutritional and antioxidant parameters in the unpolished and polished grains of eleven indigenous aromatic rice varieties. Tulaipanji appeared to be a highly demanding variety by virtue of having sufficient levels of micronutrients like Fe, Zn and Cu (linked with higher expression of fer2, ZIP and NAS3), inorganic phosphorus, hexose sugars, total amino acids and lysine (correlated with higher expression of glutelin and RLRH1), tocopherol (due to higher HGGT expression), total phenolic content, flavonoids, anthocyanins (concomitant with higher expression of PPO, PAL and ANS), LOX activity and LOX1 gene expression, and overall higher total antioxidant capacity, particularly in the polished grains. The importance of IET-21261, with regard to higher content of phytic acid and total phosphorus (with high IPK1 expression), β-carotene (with high PSY expression) and tocopherol (with high HGGT expression), and of Kalonunia, with respect to cysteine and γ-oryzanol in the polished grains, was also significant. Lower α-amylase enzyme activity and α-amylase expression led to considerable starch accumulation, with lower sucrose content, in the unpolished grains of Radhunipagal and polished grains of Pusa Basmati-1. Paramanya registered the highest content of thiamine and TH1 expression, together with minimum methylglyoxal level (low TPI expression). Paramanya and Radhunipagal maintained a higher pool of majority of the nutritional and antioxidant components in their unpolished grains. The polished grains of all the genotypes showed strikingly lower nutritional constituents, as compared to unpolished grains. The knowledge gained from this study will largely provide a road map to the farmers and rice consumers for making proper choice of the aromatic genotypes for large-scale cultivation and dietary consumption to derive maximum nutritional benefits.

Nutritional and bioactive constituents and scavenging capacity of radicals in Amaranthus hypochondriacus

A. hypochondriacus leaves contained ample phytopigments including betalain, anthocyanin, β-xanthin, β-cyanin, and bioactive phytochemicals of interest in the industry of food. We have been evaluating the possibility of utilizing phytopigments of amaranth and bioactive constituents for making drinks. Therefore, we evaluated bioactive phytopigments and compounds including the potentiality of antioxidants in A. hypochondriacus leaves. A. hypochondriacus leaves have abundant protein, carbohydrates, and dietary fiber. We found considerable levels of inorganic minerals including magnesium, calcium, potassium (3.88, 3.01, 8.56 mg g−1), zinc, manganese, copper, iron (16.23, 15.51, 2.26, 20.57 µg g−1), chlorophyll b, chlorophyll ab chlorophyll a (271.08, 905.21, 636.87 μg g−1), scavenging capacity of radicals (DPPH, ABTS+) (33.46, 62.92 TEAC μg g−1 DW), total polyphenols (29.34 GAE μg g−1 FW), β-xanthin, betalain, β-cyanin (584.71, 1,121.93, 537.21 ng g−1), total flavonoids (170.97 RE μg g−1 DW), vitamin C, β-carotene, carotenoids (184.77, 82.34, 105.08 mg 100 g−1) in A. hypochondriacus leaves. The genotypes AHC6, AHC4, AHC11, AHC5, and AHC10 had a good scavenging capacity of radicals. Polyphenols, phytopigments, flavonoids, and β-carotene of A. hypochondriacus had potential antioxidant activity. Extracted juice of A. hypochondriacus can be an ample source of phytopigments and compounds for detoxification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and attaining nutritional and antioxidant sufficiency.

Using Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict glucobrassicin concentrations in cabbage and brussels sprout leaf tissue

BackgroundGlucobrassicin (GBS) and its hydrolysis product indole-3-carbinol are important nutritional constituents implicated in cancer chemoprevention. Dietary consumption of vegetables sources of GBS, such as cabbage and Brussels sprouts, is linked to tumor suppression, carcinogen excretion, and cancer-risk reduction. High-performance liquid-chromatography (HPLC) is the current standard GBS identification method, and quantification is based on UV-light absorption in comparison to known standards or via mass spectrometry. These analytical techniques require expensive equipment, trained laboratory personnel, hazardous chemicals, and they are labor intensive. A rapid, nondestructive, inexpensive quantification method is needed to accelerate the adoption of GBS-enhancing production systems. Such an analytical method would allow producers to quantify the quality of their products and give plant breeders a high-throughput phenotyping tool to increase the scale of their breeding programs for high GBS-accumulating varieties. Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) paired with partial least squares regression (PLSR) could be a useful tool to develop such a method.ResultsHere we demonstrate that GBS concentrations of freeze-dried tissue from a wide variety of cabbage and Brussels sprouts can be predicted using partial least squares regression from NIRS data generated from wavelengths between 950 and 1650 nm. Cross-validation models had R2 = 0.75 with RPD = 2.3 for predicting µmol GBS·100 g−1 fresh weight and R2 = 0.80 with RPD = 2.4 for predicting µmol GBS·g−1 dry weight. Inspections of equation loadings suggest the molecular associations used in modeling may be due to first overtones from O–H stretching and/or N–H stretching of amines.ConclusionsA calibration model suitable for screening GBS concentration of freeze-dried leaf tissue using NIRS-generated data paired with PLSR can be created for cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Optimal NIRS wavelength ranges for calibration remain an open question.

Recent advances in Camellia oleifera Abel: A review of nutritional constituents, biofunctional properties, and potential industrial applications

Camellia oleifera Abel, known as edible-oil tree, is a subtropical evergreen shrub or small tree and distributed in China and South-East Asian countries with high nutritional and medicinal values. Approximately 249 ingredients have been isolated and structurally identified from different parts of C. oleifera. Among them, triterpenoid saponins, flavonoids, polyphenols, and polysaccharides are major bioactive constituents. Pharmacological studies revealed that this plant of homology of medicine and food and its extracts or compounds possess extensive beneficial health properties both in vivo and in vitro. However, C. oleifera seed cakes, as a by-product after squeezing the oil in C. oleifera seed, have not been fully considered as potential functional food ingredients to exploit foods with promising health benefits. This paper presents a comprehensive and systematic overview about the nutritional and phytochemical compositions, pharmacological properties, and industrial applications of C. oleifera, which will provide the latest information for further exploitation and applications of C. oleifera in functional food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries.

Influence of Drying Temperature on Nutritional and Bioactive Compounds of (Blighia sapida) Ackee Apple Seeds

Blighia sapida apple seed is among one of the wasted and under-utilized seeds in Nigeria. Which have been highly utilized as an ornamental tree with non-commercially purpose? The research was aimed to evaluate the effect of different drying temperatures on nutritional and bioactive constituent’s ackee apple seed. Freshly harvested ackee apple seed with a moisture content of approximately 45% (w.b.), the seeds were dried at different temperatures (40, 50, 60, 70°C and sun drying) until reaching moisture content of less than 11.00 ± 0.7% (w.b.), and they were subsequently analysis for proximate and bioactive constituents (flavonoid, phenolic and vitamin c) using standard method. Nutritional value of ackee seeds at drying temperatures exceeding 50°C results in reduction for the nutritive parameters and bioactive constituents. Dried ackee seed can have a longer shelf-life, produce diversity, and remarkable reduction in volume. In addition, due to its high-quality dried products that retain nutritional and the presence of bioactive compounds (flavonoids, phenolic and vitamin c) which could be a mean of generating another source of raw material for food, pharmaceutical industries and reduces wastage of these seeds during their season.

Nutritive Value, Polyphenol Constituents and Prevention of Pathogenic Microorganism by Different Resin Extract of Commiphora myrrh

The resin extract of Commiphora myrrh is Widely used in the folk medicine. The studying myrrh resin extract include moisture. minerals such as (Ca, Fe, Mg, Na, Cu and Zn), protein, total fat and crude fiber. In this study used Muffle furnace, Kjeldahl methods Soxlet and atomic absorption. HPLC using to evaluating Polyphenol constituents of myrrh different resin extract (ethanol, ethyl acetate, petroleum ether and chloroform) as Conc. (µg / g) and in all extract (ethanol, ethyl acetate and petroleum ether and chloroform) it contained Chlorogenic acid, gallic acid Catechin, Coffeic acid, caffeine, Syringic acid, Coumaric acid, Ferulic acid, Naringenin, 4`.7-Dihydroxyisoflavone, Cinnamic, Propyl Gallate Vanillin, Querectin and Acid Ellagic acid in different concentration percentage and area The effect of Commiphora myrrh (ethanol, ethyl acetate, petroleum ether and chloroform) resin extract against four different pathogenic bacteria Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomona aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus cereus, were examine by Mueller Hinton Agar and measuring inhibition zone (diameter mm), show that there were significant different among bacteria and different method of extract. All different Commiphora myrrh seed extract (aqueous, ethyl acetate and petroleum ether) have high activity against Candida albicans fungus. The study was conducted to identified the Commiphora myrrh nutritive value, polyphenol Compound and the activity against bacteria and fungi.

Metabolic profiling revealed the organ-specific distribution differences of tannins and flavonols in pecan.

Carya illinoinensis is rich in phenolic metabolites such as tannins and flavonols, but both the composition and the distribution of these nutritional constituents in most pecan organs were still unclear. In this experiment, a comprehensive qualification and quantification of phenolic metabolites in eight organs of pecan were conducted for the first time. Ninety‐seven phenolic metabolites were identified, in which twelve were identified for the first time in pecan, including a series of ellagitannins with high molecular weight. Hydrolysable tannin was the dominant kind of phenolic metabolites in pecan. The metabolic profiles of tannins in pecan were extended. Thirty‐three phenolic metabolites were quantified, among them the highest content was ellagic acid pentose in testa. From this experiment, we can see that the distribution of phenolic metabolites in pecan was organ‐specific, tannins tend to accumulate in pecan testa with both diverse structures and high contents, while flavonols tend to accumulate in organs such as branch, bark, or leaf. Among all organs, testa contained the highest content of phenolics, which might play important roles in protecting pecan kernel from diseases and insects. A massive phenolic metabolites' matrix in different pecan organs was built in this experiment, which should be useful for related researches in the future and help provide a theoretical basis for using these organs as functional foods.

Nutritional Composition and GC-MS Phytochemical Analysis of Thaumatococcus daniellii Leaves

Aims: There is a high risk associated with using artificial materials like polyethylene or foil for wrapping foods before cooking. The present study investigated the phytochemical and nutrient composition of Thaumatococus daniellii leaf, a local food wrapper.
 Place and Duration of Study: Biochemistry Unit, Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Imo State Polytechnic Umuagwo, between April and May 2018.
 Methodology: The phytochemical compounds were analyzed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) while proximate and vitamin composition was determined using standard analytical methods. 
 Results: The GC-MS phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of eight (8) bioactive compounds 1,2,3,4-Butanetetrol, d-Glycero-d-idoheptose, Cyclopentane,1-ethyl-1-methyl-, 6-Octyl-1-ol,3,7-dimethyl-, 2-Octenal, E- Octane,1-chloro-,2-Acetoxy-1,1,10-trimethyl-6,9-epidioxydecalin and Bicyclo[3.1.1]heptan-3-ol,2,6,6-trimethyl-,(1α,2β,3α,5α)- while vitamin assay results showed that Thaumatococcus daniellii leaf contained 3.1mg/100g of vitamin A, 1.07 mg/100 g vitamin B1, 1.32 mg/100 g vitamin B3, 1.11 mg/100 g of vitamin B5, 16.34 mg/100 g of vitamin B6, 11.86 mg/100 g of vitamin B12 and 25.19 mg/100 g of vitamin C. Result of proximate analysis indicates that Thaumatococcus daniellii leaf contains 10.15% ash, 9.67% moisture, 20.41% protein, 11.42% lipids, 13.78% fibre and 34.57% carbohydrate.
 Conclusion: In summary, our findings indicate that Thaumatococcus daniellii leaves contain bioactive compounds, an appreciable number of vitamins and high nutritional constituents. Hence Thaumatococcus daniellii leaves can be incorporated into animal feed, taking into cognizance the high protein, fat and vitamin contents. These suggest that it may play critical medicinal and nutritional roles and probably be a safer alternative to polyethylene paper and aluminum foil wraps; hence justifying its local usage as food wrapper. The leaves may also serve as a lead for the production of a healthier material for wrapping local foods.

Holistic approach to microwave-reflux extraction and thermo-analytical fingerprints of under-utilized Artocarpus heterophyllus seed wastes

The increase in wastes generated from jackfruit seeds has been largely under-utilized in Malaysia. Due to the high nutritional and medicinal content embedded in the cellulosic structure of jackfruit wastes, a need then arises for their physicochemical elucidations. In this study, the extraction of Artocarpus heterophyllus seed was carefully investigated using Taguchi orthogonal optimization design. Complete functional group characteristics and chemical profile of the A. heterophyllus seed extracts were obtained using different physicochemical characterization. The optimal conditions of the microwave extraction parameters were determined at 5 min of irradiation time, 450 W of power and 50 °C of temperature. Under this condition, the optimal yield of 17.34 (mg/g) % was achieved at an SNR ratio of 24.78. The mass spectrometry analysis tentatively identified a total of 90 and 148 secondary metabolites at positive and negative ESI modes, respectively. The chemical profile obtained provided a baseline reference for further investigation on the food and medicinal bioactive from Artocarpus heterophyllus seed oleoresins. The FT-infrared emission spectrum shows the presence of some specific carbohydrates and amide protein functional groups directly linked to C–O (1008 cm−1) the carbonyl (C=O) groups, respectively. Moreover, the morphological characteristics of the jackfruit raw and crude extracts conspicuously revealed large-sized globules which suggest the carbohydrates and protein contents. The result of this study indicates that the use of microwave extraction technology produced high-quality extracts with lower degradation of the thermal labile constituents. This will assist in determining the suitable conditions necessary for the total recovery of medicinal and nutritional constituents and conversion of agricultural waste products into useful products.

Bacillus megaterium Strain CDK25, a Novel Plant Growth Promoting Bacterium Enhances Proximate Chemical and Nutritional Composition of Capsicum annuum L.

The present study aimed to scrutinize the effect of different cow dung bacterial treatments on the nutritional value of Capsicum annuum L. Among all treatments, seeds inoculated with Bacillus megaterium (CDK25) showed significant enhancement in various proximate constituents viz., crude fiber (3.31%), crude protein (3.84%), and ash (2.53%) as compared to control. Likewise, significant increase in different nutrient contents viz., Ca (16.26 mg/100 g), Mg (17.37 mg/100 g), P (11.91 mg/100 g), K (0.47 mg/100 g), Fe (1.37 mg/100 g), and Zn (0.21 mg/100 g) was recorded over the control. Principal component analysis data depicts a positive correlation between different treatments with variables, validating enhancement in nutritional constituents by B. megaterium (CDK25) treatment. The study suggests the application of “B. megaterium” for achieving the persistent potential for augmenting and boosting up plant biological, functional, and nutritional assets, thereby enhancing the overall edible quality of C. annuum L. along with weathering of soil minerals.

Red bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.): Optimization of drying conditions and preparation of functional bread.

The aim of this study was to optimize the drying conditions (pretreatments and drying temperatures) of red bell pepper to obtain red bell pepper powder (RBP) with maximum bioactive retention and assess its potential use as a functional ingredient in bread. The RBP pretreated (blanching + dipping in ascorbic and citric acid solution) and dried at 60°C retained the highest bioactive compounds. Wheat flour blends were prepared with RBP at 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10% level of incorporation and among hydration properties, water absorption increased with increasing levels. The prepared breads were assayed for physical, nutritional, bioactive, and sensory characteristics. Bread supplementation with RBP improves its color, mineral, fiber, and bioactive properties. However, the texture of bread becomes hard with the increased level of RBP due to a decrease in specific volume. The significant increment was recorded for bioactive compounds, such as total phenols, antioxidant activity, flavonoids, and carotenoids as the level of powder increased. Bread enriched with 6% RBP showed highest sensory scores (8.45) and index of acceptability (87.83%) as compared to other breads. Thus, RBP acts as a valuable supplement for developing bread with improved nutritional and bioactive constituents. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study describes the effect of different pretreatments and drying temperatures for processing of RBP as a functional ingredient in bread, being a staple food around the world. RBP powder is a novel ingredient that improved the nutritional, bioactive, and appearance of bread. Hence, it will be helpful in the utilization of perishable crops like bell pepper and will demonstrate its commercial viability to improve the nutritive value of bakery products.

Milk Processing Affects Structure, Bioavailability and Immunogenicity of β-lactoglobulin.

Bovine milk is subjected to various processing steps to warrant constant quality and consumer safety. One of these steps is pasteurization, which involves the exposure of liquid milk to a high temperature for a limited amount of time. While such heating effectively ameliorates consumer safety concerns mediated by pathogenic bacteria, these conditions also have an impact on one of the main nutritional whey constituents of milk, the protein β-lactoglobulin. As a function of heating, β-lactoglobulin was shown to become increasingly prone to denaturation, aggregation, and lactose conjugation. This review discusses the implications of such heat-induced modifications on digestion and adsorption in the gastro-intestinal tract, and the responses these conformations elicit from the gastro-intestinal immune system.

Assessing the Therapeutic Potential of Red Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) to Modulate Renal and Cardiac Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Hypercholesterolemic Rabbits

Background: The epidemiological transition is directly associated with dietary shift towards empty calories. In contrary, cabbage fights against oxidative stress mediated health disorders owing to the presence of nutritive constituents and low caloric count. The study aimed to assess the efficacy of red cabbage and its aqueous extract against renal and cardiac oxidative stress in response to hypercaloric diet. Methods: Red cabbage and its aqueous extract were fed to normal rabbits (Study I) and hypercholesterolemic diet (1% cholesterol) induced oxidatively stressed rabbits (Study II) for 12-weeks. Serum specific biomarkers of renal and cardiac oxidative stress including creatinine, urea, creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured. Tissues of kidney and heart were employed to assess the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) alongside; lipid peroxidation was also studied. Results: Red cabbage extract depicted more decrement (p<0.05) in serum creatinine and urea levels up to 14.45 and 9.01% in oxidatively stressed rabbits (Study II), respectively. In kidney tissues, red cabbage extract showed an obvious reduction in lipid peroxidation up to 24.07% in Study II that ultimately restored SOD (11.38%) and CAT (16.72%) activities. On the other hand, red cabbage demonstrated promising aptitude (p<0.05) in mitigating cardiac compromised condition by down-regulating lipid peroxidation by 16.44%, which considerably decreased the serum levels of CK, CK-MB, LDH and AST. Conclusion: Relatively, red cabbage extract showed a relatively better response in controlling renal oxidative stress as compared to red cabbage; however, vice-versa was observed in case of cardiac oxidative stress.

Phytochemical profiles, nutritional constituents and antioxidant activity of black wolfberry (Lycium ruthenicum Murr.)

Black wolfberry (Lycium ruthenicum, LR) is one of edible and medicinal fruits used widely in West China and contains many nutritional and health benefits of bioactive components. In this study, the phytochemical profiles and nutritional constituents in LR berries from seven production regions were systematically investigated and analyzed quantitatively. And the antioxidant activity of LR berry extracts was also measured by several methods, including DPPH, ABTS, FRAP and ORAC assays. Dietary fibers, soluble sugars, organic acids, minerals and vitamin C were rich in LR berries, and low variation of nutritional constituent contents were detected in these regions. Furthermore, the concentration of the functional components (such as polyphenols, phenolic acids, flavonoids and polysaccharides) varied significantly in LR berries from different regions, and there were no significant differences of these components in the wild and cultivated berries from the same region. Generally, these functional components had significantly positive correlations with antioxidant activity, with exception for total flavonoids and total carotenoids. Overall, LR berries from Qaidam Basin of Qinghai, not only represented abundant nutritional constituents and phenolics, polysaccharides and betaine, but possessed significantly higher antioxidant activity than those of the other production regions, indicating that they can conduct as excellent sources of antioxidants used in nutraceutical formulations and functional foods.

Wild rice (Zizania spp.): A review of its nutritional constituents, phytochemicals, antioxidant activities, and health-promoting effects.

Wild rice (Zizania spp.), an important aquatic cereal grain in North America and East Asia, has attracted interest worldwide because of its antioxidant activities and health-promoting effects. Wild rice is high in protein, minerals, and vitamins but is low in fat. The phytochemical content (phytosterols, γ-oryzanol, γ-aminobutyric acid, phenolic acids, and flavonoids) of wild rice warrants its development as a functional food. Phenolic acids, flavonoids, and other phytochemicals from Zizania plants have pronounced antioxidant properties, which are associated with prevention of chronic diseases. The health-promoting effects of Zizania plants include alleviation of insulin resistance and lipotoxicity, atherosclerosis prevention, and anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-hypertensive, and immunomodulatory effects. Here, we provide an overview of Zizania research up to April 2020, focusing on the nutritional constituents, phytochemicals, antioxidant activities, and health-promoting effects of Zizania plants. This review has important implications for further investigations and applications of Zizania plants in medicine and as functional foods.