Comparative Analysis of Traditional Oriental Herbal Fruits as Potential Sources of Polyphenols and Minerals for Nutritional Supplements.

There are a plethora of plant species in India, which have been widely used in vegetable dishes, soups, desserts and herbal medicine. In addition to these traditional uses, today there is the extra possibility of also being able to use these plants in the nutritional supplements industry due to their favorable antioxidant and mineral composition. In this sense, thirteen vegetable species-Chanania lanzan, Ziziphus mauritiana, Nilumbo nucifera, Terminalia catappa, Terminalia arjuna, Terminalia bellirica, Terminalia chebula, Lagenaria siceraria, Luffa aegyptiaca, Praecitrullus fistulosus, Benincasa hispida, Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus and Cucurbita maxima-have been analyzed. In this paper we discuss the distribution of polyphenols and minerals (Na, K, Mg, Ca, Al, P, S, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mo, As and Pb) in different seed parts (the rhizome, pericarp, carpel, seed coat and kernel) of the above species and their possible use in the nutritional supplements industry. The concentrations of total polyphenols, flavonoids and minerals ranged from 407 to 3144 mg rutin hydrate/100 g, 24 to 3070 mg quercetin/100 g and 1433 to 7928 mg/100 g, respectively. K, Ca, P and S were abundant in these herbal fruits. In two species of herbal fruits, Terminalia arjuna and Terminalia chebula, only part of the seed structure was suitable for use in nutritional supplements.

Seeds as Potential Sources of Phenolic Compounds and Minerals for the Indian Population.

Seeds are major sources of nutrients and bioactive compounds for human beings. In this work, the chemical composition and physicochemical properties of 155 Indian seeds (belonging to 49 families) are reported. Moisture and ash were measured with reference protocols from AOAC; total polyphenols and flavonoids were measured with spectrophotometric methods after extraction with organic solvents, and mineral elements were determined by X-ray fluorescence spectrophotometry. Total phenolic compounds, flavonoids and mineral contents (Al, Ba, Ca, Cl, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, P, Rb, S, Sr, Ti, V and Zn) were found to vary in the ranges 182−5000, 110−4465 and 687−7904 mg/100 g (DW), respectively. Noticeably, polyphenol contents higher than 2750 mg/100 g were observed in 18 seeds. In addition, mineral contents >5000 mg/100 g were detected in the seeds from Cuminum cyminum, Foeniculum vulgare, Commiphora wightii, Parkia javanica, Putranjiva roxburghii, Santalum album and Strychnos potatorum. Botanical and taxonomical variations in the proximate characteristics of the examined seeds are also discussed.

Profiling of the lipophilic components of seed oil obtained from two medicinal plants Corchorus capsularis L. and Hibiscus sabdariffa L.

The minor lipophilic composition of seed oils obtained from two medicinal plants (C. capsularis and H. sabdariffa L.), tocopherol, tocotrienols, sterols, carotenoids and squalene, was studied. The oil yield from the seeds of H. sabdariffa and C. capsularis was 19.1 and 12.7%, respectively. The main three fatty acids of the oils from both species were - linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acid (over 95% of all). γ-Tocopherol consisted of over 65% of total tocopherol content of four detected homologues, in both species. Nine and ten sterols were detected in H. sabdariffa and C. capsularis seed oil, respectively. ß-Sitosterol was the main sterol (over 50% of all). Lutein was the main carotenoid detected in both species. The total amount of tocopherols, carotenoids and sterols in C. capsularis vs. H. sabdariffa seed oil were 117.2 vs. 159.2, 0.27 vs. 0.74, and 247.1 vs. 968.0 mg/100 g oil, respectively.

Fatty Acid Profile and Squalene, Tocopherol, Carotenoid, Sterol Content of Seven Selected Consumed Legumes.

Legume seeds (Fabaceae) of seven species Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (guar), Glycine max (soybean), Lablab purpureus (lablab-bean), Macrotyloma uniflorum (kulthi bean), Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean), Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek) and Vigna unguiculata (cowpea) were studied. The oil yield ranged from 1.2 to 20.2% dw, in the lablab-bean and soybean, respectively. The polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) constituted the largest part (46-78%) of total fatty acids in studied legumes. γ-Tocopherol was the predominant tocopherol (T) homologue (61-95%) in most of the tested legumes with the exception of fenugreek (α-T, 97%) and cowpea (γ-T and δ-T, nearly equal). The ß-sitosterol was the main sterol (51-56%) in most legumes. While in cowpea, lablab-bean and kulthi bean the main sterols were ß-sitosterol and Δ5-stigmasterol (28-37% and 14-42%, respectively). Squalene was detected only in kulthi bean and lablab-bean (58 and 284 mg/100 g oil). The total concentration of carotenoids, tocochromanols, and sterols in the studied legumes was 0.2-9.2, 12.4-276.0, and 350-8,542 mg/100 g oil, respectively. Based on the levels of minor lipophilic compounds of this study, C. tetragonoloba, T. foenum-graecum and G. max seem to have a better nutritional value compared to P. vulgaris, V. unguiculata, L. purpureus, and M. uniflorum.

Tephrosia apollinea seed: a new rich source of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols, sterols, and squalene.

Tephrosia apollinea is a legume species, native to southwest Asia and northeast Africa, rich in bioactive flavonoids (hydrophilic compounds). T. apollinea seeds were not considered previously as a potential source of lipophilic compounds such as: essential fatty acids, tocopherols, sterols, and squalene, hence, the present study were performed. The oil yield in T. apollinea seeds amounted to 11.8% dw. The T. apollinea seed oil was predominated by the polyunsaturated fatty acids - linoleic (26.8%) and α-linolenic (22.7%). High levels were recorded also for oleic (27.6%) and palmitic (14.9%) acids. Four tocopherols and one tocotrienol, with the domination of γ-tocopherol (98%) were identified in T. apollinea seed oil. The ß-sitosterol (59%), Δ5-stigmasterol (21%) and campesterol (9%) were detected as main sterols in T. apollinea seed oil. The total content of tocochromanols, sterols, carotenoids and squalene in the T. apollinea seed oil was 256.7, 338.1, 12.5 and 1103.8 mg/100 g oil, respectively. T. apollinea seeds oil, due to the high concentration of lipophilic bioactive compounds can find a potential application in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry.

Selected Uncommon Legumes as a Source of Essential Fatty Acids, Tocopherols, Tocotrienols, Sterols, Carotenoids, and Squalene.

The seeds of nine species belonging to the Fabaceae family (Cassia alata, Cassia uniflora, Cassia obtusifolia, Cassia tora, Crotalaria albida, Crotalaria juncea, Crotalaria pallida, Indigofera tinctoria, and Tephrosia purpurea) were studied. The oil yield ranged from 2.0 to 9.6% dw, in the seeds of I. tinctoria and T. purpurea, respectively. The unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) were the predominant group of fatty acids (41-74%) in the investigated samples. The sum of tocopherol homologues α and γ constituted 90-100% of total tocochromanols identified in each species. The ß-sitosterol, campesterol, and Δ5-stigmasterol were the main sterols in most of the samples, however, in some of the seeds considerable levels of Δ5-avenasterol, Δ5,24-stigmastadienol, 24-ethylcholest-7-en-3beta-ol, and cycloartenol were also determined. Although the studied seeds were marked by relatively low yield of oil, the predomination of UFA, as well as relevant quantities of tocochromanols, carotenoids, sterols, and squalene (144.3-444.8, 4.1-43.1, 603.2-2590.2, and 0-88.1 mg/100 g oil, respectively), thus, the studied seeds can be considered as an alternative source of valuable ingredients for human nutrition.