Exploration of the nutritional and carotenoids profiles of vegetables in Thai cuisine as potential nutritious ingredients.

Missing information on plant origin control and nutritional data on herbs, spices and vegetables could lead to sample quality deficit and misusage of the plant database. In this study, twenty vegetables that were collected and managed based on the recommendations of the Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand, were investigated regarding their proximate mineral, vitamin and carotenoid contents using the standard procedures of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). The results showed that these plants (100 g dry weight) exhibited similar energy levels (337.11-420.48 kcal), which were mainly distributed from high carbohydrate content (21.01-88.17 g), while protein (3.14-66.07 g) and fat (0.00-10.33 g) levels were quite low. As a form of carbohydrate, dietary fiber was found to be high in Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf (Cy. citratus) and Solanum torvum Sw. (So. torvum) (57.00-59.54 g). Interestingly, Senegalia pennata subsp. insuavis (Lace) Maslin, Seigler & Ebinger (S. pennata) exhibited exceptionally high protein content, which was between 2.3 and 3.1 times higher than its carbohydrates. High mineral contents were detected in S. pennata, Ocimum africanum Lour. (O. africanum), Ocimum basilicum L. (O. basilicum), Ocimum gratissimum L. var. macrophyllum Briq. (O. gratissimum) and Coriandrum sativum L. (Co. sativum), while Mentha cordifolia Opiz ex Fresen (M. cordifolia) was observed to be a good source of vitamin C (381.36-547.47 mg). High carotenoids were mostly found in Eryngium foetidum L. (E. foetidum), O. gratissimum, Co. sativum and O. basilicum (75.23-119.96 mg). Interestingly, the location of sample collection seemed to have minimal effect on the nutritional and carotenoid compositions. The results of this study provide reliable information concerning the nutritional and carotenoid contents in plant sources with control of origin, which could be used in the future for food development with specific nutritional requirements.

Seasonal Effects on Phenolic Contents and In Vitro Health-Promoting Bioactivities of Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera).

Sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is a commercial product in Asian countries. Almost all parts of the lotus plant are consumed as food or used as traditional medicine due to their high contents of secondary metabolites such as phenolics and alkaloids. However, agricultural management of the sacred lotus occurs during the rainy season, and the plant enters a resting stage during the dry season. Thus, seasonal variation (beginning, middle and end of the rainy season) was investigated for total phenolic contents (TPCs), antioxidant capacities and inhibitions of the key enzymes relevant to chronic diseases including Alzheimer's disease (ß-secretase, acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase), hypertension (angiotensin-converting enzyme), obesity (lipase) and diabetes (α-glucosidase) of different sacred lotus parts (seed embryo, petal, stamen, old leaf, leaf stalk and flower stalk). Results indicated that an aqueous extract of stamen in all harvesting seasons exhibited potentially high TPCs, which led to high antioxidant activities and most enzyme inhibitions (up to 53.7-fold higher) than the others collected in the same harvesting period. The phenolic content and biochemical activities in stamen harvested at the beginning of the rainy season were up to 4-fold higher than during other harvesting periods. This information benefits the agricultural management of sacred lotus and supports consumption of different sacred lotus parts for health promotion. Results can be used as an initial database for future product development from different sacred lotus parts.

Influence of Plant Origins and Seasonal Variations on Nutritive Values, Phenolics and Antioxidant Activities of Adenia viridiflora Craib., an Endangered Species from Thailand.

Adenia viridiflora Craib. is an indigenous plant found in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam that has become threatened owing to lack of knowledge about its agricultural management. This plant is now rare in the wild and was registered in the Plant Genetic Conservation Project under the initiation of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (RSPG) to promote sustainable conservation and optimally beneficial utilization. A. viridiflora has a long history of utilization as a nutrient-rich source with medicinal properties but scientific evidence of the veracity of these claims is limited. Here, the nutritional compositions, phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of different plant parts (young shoots and old leaves) of A. viridiflora were investigated using plants collected from four areas of Thailand as Kamphaeng Phet (KP), Muang Nakhon Ratchasima (MN), Pakchong Nakhon Ratchasima (PN) and Uthai Thani (UT) at different harvesting periods (March-April, May-June and July-August). Results indicated that young shoots provided higher energy, protein, fat, dietary fiber, phosphorus, sodium, and zinc than old leaves. By contrast, nutrients such as total sugar, vitamin C, carotenoids, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron contents were higher in old leaves that also exhibited higher phenolic contents and most antioxidant activities than young shoots. Generally, most nutrients, phenolic contents, and antioxidant activities exhibited no clear trend among different plant origins. The harvesting period of July-August provided a suitable climate for biosynthesis of most nutrients, while high phenolics were mainly found in samples harvested in March-April. No clear trend was observed in the prevalence of antioxidant activities that varied according to assay techniques.

Phytochemicals and In Vitro Bioactivities of Aqueous Ethanolic Extracts from Common Vegetables in Thai Food.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading global cause of death. The World Health Organization (WHO) has endorsed the consumption of fruits and vegetables because they are rich in phytochemicals that sustainably ameliorate the occurrence of NCDs. Thai food contains many spices and vegetables with recognized health benefits. Quality control of plant samples encountered a bottleneck in the field and comparative studies of plant control origins including species or cultivar identification, growing area and appropriate harvesting time are limited. To address this issue, all plant samples used in this study were cultivated and controlled by the Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand. The samples were phytochemically screened and determined their health-promoting bioactivities via antioxidant activities and inhibition of NCD-related enzymes including lipase (obesity), α-amylase and α-glucosidase (diabetes), angiotensin-converting enzyme (hypertension), as well as acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase and ß-secretase (Alzheimer's disease). The non-enzymatic reaction toward glycation was also evaluated. The results showed that Senegalia pennata subsp. insuavis (Lace) Maslin, Seigler & Ebinger, Citrus hystrix DC. and Solanum melongena 'Kermit' extracts exhibited high antioxidant activities. Moreover, Citrus hystrix DC. extract was a potent inhibitor against lipase, angiotensin-converting enzyme and butyrylcholinesterase, while Coriandrum sativum L. and Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC. were potent anti-diabetic agents and Senegalia pennata subsp. insuavis (Lace) Maslin, and Seigler & Ebinger was a potent anti-glycation agent. Our data provide a comparative analysis of ten vegetables to encourage healthy food consumption and development to control NCDs in Thailand in the future.

The Effect of Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and Its Mixtures on Phenolic Profiles, Antioxidant Activities, and Inhibitions of the Key Enzymes Relevant to Alzheimer's Disease.

Sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) has long been used as a food source and ingredient for traditional herbal remedies. Plant parts contain neuroprotective agents that interact with specific targets to inhibit Alzheimer's disease (AD). Organic solvents including methanol, ethyl acetate, hexane, and n-butanol, are widely employed for extraction of sacred lotus but impact food safety. Seed embryo, flower stalk, stamen, old leaf, petal, and leaf stalk of sacred lotus were extracted using hot water (aqueous extraction). The extractions were analyzed for their bioactive constituents, antioxidant and anti-AD properties as key enzyme inhibitory activities toward acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and ß-secretase 1 (BACE-1). Results showed that the sacred lotus stamen exhibited significant amounts of phenolics, including phenolic acids and flavonoids, that contributed to high antioxidant activity via both single electron transfer (SET) and hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) mechanisms, with anti-AChE, anti-BChE, and anti-BACE-1 activities. To enhance utilization of other sacred lotus parts, a combination of stamen, old leaf and petal as the three sacred lotus plant components with the highest phenolic contents, antioxidant activities, and enzyme inhibitory properties was analyzed. Antagonist interaction was observed, possibly from flavonoids-flavonoids interaction. Further in-depth elucidation of this issue is required. Findings demonstrated that an aqueous extract of the stamen has potential for application as a functional food to mitigate the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Comparison of Phytochemicals, Antioxidant, and In Vitro Anti-Alzheimer Properties of Twenty-Seven Morus spp. Cultivated in Thailand.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. To fight the disease, natural products, including mulberry, with antioxidant activities and inhibitory activities against key enzymes (acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and beta-secretase 1 (BACE-1)) are of interest. However, even in the same cultivars, mulberry trees grown in different populated locations might possess disparate amounts of phytochemical profiles, leading to dissimilar health properties, which cause problems when comparing different cultivars of mulberry. Therefore, this study aimed to comparatively investigate the phytochemicals, antioxidant activities, and inhibitory activities against AChE, BChE, and BACE-1, of twenty-seven Morus spp. cultivated in the same planting area in Thailand. The results suggested that Morus fruit samples were rich in phenolics, especially cyanidin, kuromanin, and keracyanin. Besides, the aqueous Morus fruit extracts exhibited antioxidant activities, both in single electron transfer (SET) and hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) mechanisms, while strong inhibitory activities against AD key enzymes were observed. Interestingly, among the twenty-seven Morus spp., Morus sp. code SKSM 810191 with high phytochemicals, antioxidant activities and in vitro anti-AD properties is a promising cultivar for further developed as a potential mulberry resource with health benefits against AD.

Delimitation of Sauropus (Phyllanthaceae) based on plastid matK and nuclear ribosomal ITS DNA Sequence data.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A recent molecular phylogenetic study showed that Sauropus is deeply embedded within Phyllanthus together with its allies, Breynia and Glochidion. As relationships within Sauropus are still problematic and the relationship with Breynia has long been doubted, more molecular data are needed to test/corroborate such a broad definition of Phyllanthus. This study aims to clarify the status and delimitation of Sauropus and establish its position within Phyllanthaceae. METHODS: Plastid matK and nuclear ribosomal ITS DNA sequence data for Sauropus and its allies were used to construct phylogenetic trees using maximum parsimony and Bayesian methods. KEY RESULTS: Within Phyllanthus, Sauropus can be split into the mainly south-east Asian Sauropus sensu stricto (s.s.) plus Breynia and the mainly Australian Sauropus (formerly Synostemon). Sauropus s.s. plus Breynia comprise two distinct clades; one is the combination of Sauropus sections Glochidioidei, Sauropus and Schizanthi and the other is the combination of Sauropus sections Cryptogynium and Hemisauropus and the monophyletic genus Breynia. CONCLUSIONS: Molecular data indicate that Synostemon should be reinstated at the same level as Sauropus s.s. and that Sauropus s.s. should be united with Breynia under the latter, older name. The molecular data corroborate only two of the five infrageneric groups of Sauropus recognized on the basis of morphological data.