Nutrient content of four edible wild plants from west Africa

Phytochemical analysis, GC-MS profile and determination of antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant activities of peel and seeds extracts (chloroform and ethyl acetate) of Tamarindus indica L

Tamarindus indica L., is widely used tree in ayurvedic medicine. Here, we aimed to understand the presence of important constituents in seeds and peel of Tamarind fruits and their biological activities. Hence, seeds and peel of Tamarind fruits are used for further extraction process by soxhlet method (chloroform and ethyl acetate solvents). Results suggest that the ethyl acetate extract (seeds) consists of terpenoids (72.29 ± 0.513 mg/g), phenolic content (68.67 ± 2.11 mg/g) and flavonoids (26.36 ± 2.03 mg/g) whereas chloroform extract (seeds) has terpenoids (42.29 ± 0.98 mg/g). Similarly, chloroform extract (peel) has terpenoids (25.96 ± 3.20 mg/g) and flavonoids (46.36 ± 2.03 mg/g) whereas ethyl acetate extract (peel) has terpenoids (62.93 ± 0.987 mg/g). Furthermore, anti-inflammation activity results revealed that the chloroform extract of peel was found to be more effective with IC50 of 226.14 µg/ml by protein denaturation analysis and with IC50 of 245.5 µg/ml on lipoxygenase inhibition activity. Chloroform extract (peel and seeds) shown better antioxidant activity using DPPH than ethyl acetate extract (peel and seeds). Ethyl acetate extract of seeds showed impressive potency by inhibiting the growth of fungus, Candida albicans. Additionally, ethyl acetate extract of seeds showed impressive potency inhibiting the growth of Escherichia coli than Bacillus cereus. GC-MS analysis shown the existence of diverse set of phytochemicals in each extract. Overall, comparative studies highlight the effectiveness of seeds extracts than peel extracts. Moreover, GC-MS results suggest that the seeds and peel extracts (chloroform and ethyl acetate) contains a wide range of compounds (including flavonoids, isovanillic acid, fatty acids and phenolic compounds) which can be utilized for therapeutic purpose.

Nutritional and Health-Promoting Effects of Lichens Used in Food Applications

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Lichens have a huge significance which is used in nutrition due to the bioactive components within. Lichen is a nutrient-dense resourceful diet nearly every day meal and has long been used as food; also, these valuable natural resources are now being utilized for a wide range of other purposes. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the nutritional and edible qualities of lichens as well as the possible health benefits of lichens. It is interesting to note that lichen is a nutrient-dense and functional food. It is a nutritional resource that can mitigate the effects of malnutrition to some amount.

RECENT FINDINGS

There is an indication that an intake of lichens as natural foods was associated with nutritional and health-promoting properties. Lichens have proven to have theoretically rich nutritional value, and their extracts and active constituents have also been shown to have multiple health benefits. Low-fat content, high carbohydrate, and crude fibre content; plentiful mineral components; and good protein sources are all thought to contribute to lichen's nutritional value. There is a lot of potential for using lichens as an effective food source and ensuring people's food production.

Traditional Uses, Pharmacological Activities, and Phytochemical Analysis of Diospyros mespiliformis Hochst. ex. A. DC (Ebenaceae): A Review

Diospyros mespiliformis Hochst. ex. A. DC is widely distributed throughout Africa and around the world. It is utilized ethnobotanically to treat fevers, wounds, malaria, diabetes mellitus, and other diseases. This review aims to provide an exhaustive overview of the traditional uses, pharmacology, and phytochemical analysis of D. mespiliformis, with the objective of identifying its therapeutic potential for further research. Scientific resources, including Google Scholar, Science Direct, Web of Science, Pub Med, and Scopus, were used to find pertinent data on D. mespiliformis. Secondary metabolites tentatively identified from this species were primarily terpenoids, naphthoquinones, phenolics, and coumarins. D. mespiliformis has been reported to demonstrate pharmacological activities, including antimicrobial, antiproliferative, antiparasitic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-hypersensitivity, and antidiabetic properties. The phytochemicals and extracts from D. mespiliformis have been reported to have some pharmacological effects in in vivo studies and were not toxic to the animal models that were utilized. The D. mespiliformis information reported in this review provides researchers with a comprehensive summary of the current research status of this medicinal plant and a guide for further investigation.

Determinants of oxidative stress among indigenous populations in Northern Laos: Trace element exposures and dietary patterns

OBJECTIVES

To investigate determinants of oxidative stress in an indigenous population, we examined associations of trace element exposures and dietary patterns with three oxidative stress-related biomarkers among indigenous populations in Northern Laos.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 341 adults from three villages with different levels of modernization. We used three oxidative stress-related biomarkers: urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and 8-isoprostane concentrations, which were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and blood telomere lengths, which were measured using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. We used multilevel analysis to examine associations of urinary arsenic, cadmium, and selenium concentrations, their interaction terms, and wild-plant-food scores (principal component scores calculated from food consumption frequencies) with oxidative stress-related biomarkers.

RESULTS

Urinary arsenic and cadmium concentrations were positively associated with urinary 8-isoprostane concentrations. Urinary selenium concentrations were positively associated with urinary 8-OHdG concentrations. Interaction terms ([arsenic or cadmium] × selenium) showed negative associations with urinary 8-OHdG and 8-isoprostane concentrations, respectively. Urinary cadmium concentrations were negatively associated with telomere lengths. Wild-plant-food scores did not exhibit associations with oxidative stress-related biomarkers.

CONCLUSION

Our findings imply that exposure to arsenic and cadmium is associated with greater oxidative lipid damage, whereas selenium may attenuate arsenic-induced oxidative DNA damage and cadmium-induced oxidative lipid damage. Cadmium exposure may accelerate telomere attrition. Trace element exposure may be a determinant of oxidative stress among indigenous populations in Northern Laos.

Comparative evaluation of solvent extracts of Azanza garckeana fruit pulp on hormonal profiles, spermiogram and antioxidant activities in rabbit bucks

The study investigated the comparative influence of different extraction solvents on spermiogram, hormonal profiles and antioxidant activities in rabbit bucks. Adult New Zealand White rabbit bucks (n=18), with average live weight of 1.2±0.03 kg and aged 10-18 mo were fed ad libitum on a commercial diet. They were administered five different Azanza garckeana (AG) fruit pulp extracts at 500 mg/kg via oral gavage, comprising control group (Con), crude (AG Cr), methanol (AG M), n-hexane (AG H), ethyl acetate (AG E)and aqueous (AG AQ) for four weeks. The extracts improved the spermiogram in rabbit bucks administered methanol (AG M) and the reaction time was significantly (P<0.05) lower in AG E group when compared to other groups. The ejaculate volume, sperm motility, pH and sperm concentration were significantly (P<0.05) higher in the AG M group when compared to the other groups. There was a significant (P<0.05) increase in concentrations of blood testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinising hormone in methanol extract group (AG M). While the glutathione and malondialdehyde concentrations were (P<0.05) lower, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were significantly (P<0.05) higher in the groups administered methanol extract (AG M). It was concluded that AG M extracts of AG pulp elicited the best response in spermiogram, hormonal concentrations and antioxidant activities in New Zealand White rabbit bucks. Its use as the extraction solvent is recommended.

Screening and Estimation of Bioactive Compounds of Azanza garckeana (Jakjak) Fruit Using GC-MS, UV–Visible Spectroscopy, and HPLC Analysis

Azanza garckeana (F. Hoffm). Exell and Hillc. is an important food and medicinal plant that has been used in tropical Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the nutritional value of jakjak fruit using different analytical techniques. The obtained results have demonstrated that jakjak fruit is very rich in total soluble sugar, constituting about 48% of the dry weight. Moreover, the chromatographic analysis revealed that jakjak fruit contained a high amount of glucose, fructose, maltose, and ascorbic acid. Further, GC-MS analysis detected four compounds related to secondary metabolites. Some of these detected constituents have medicinal value. For example, phenol, 2,4-bis (1,1-dimethylethyl) has been reported to have many functions such as antioxidant activity, anticancer, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. Furthermore, the antioxidant potential of different concentrations of deionized water and methanolic extracts was estimated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The results showed that the scavenging activity of the DPPH radical was found to be raised with increasing concentrations of fruit extracts. The concentration (50%) of both methanol and deionized water gave the best inhibition percentage (91.7 and 84.4%), respectively. In contrast, the methanolic extract has shown significant results compared to deionized water. This study concluded that jakjak fruit is very rich in total soluble sugar and phenolic compounds, which can be used as a source of polysaccharides and antioxidants for the human diet as well as raw materials for downstream industries.

Dielectric Properties of Beverages (Tamarind and Green) Relevant to Microwave-Assisted Pasteurization

Dielectric properties (DPs) of two beverages, tamarind and a green drink (based on mix fruits of pineapple, guava, lemon, and nopal), were studied. The DPs were determined using the open-ended coaxial probe method in the frequency range from 0.25 to 25 GHz at 10, 30, 50, and 70 °C. The dielectric constant decreased when both frequency and temperature increased above 1000 MHz. For both beverages, the dielectric loss factor increased with increasing frequency and increasing temperature. In addition, dielectric constant values ranged from 59.7 to 82.5, and the dielectric loss factors were between 5.8 and 31.1. The penetration depth (d_p ) of electromagnetic waves in the beverages increased proportionally to temperature at frequencies above 1000 MHz; d_p values ranged from 0.2 to 7.5 cm. Because of its complexity and the amount of ingredients and the interactions between them, the green drink showed higher values of dielectric constants in comparison with the tamarind beverage.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

The dielectric properties of the studied beverages, how they behave at different temperatures, and the penetration depth reached by microwave at the allocated frequencies, provide important parameters for further heating treatments, such as heating (microwave-assisted pasteurization) and for modeling/simulation purposes.

Functional Molecules in Locally-Adapted Crops: The Case Study of Tomatoes, Onions, and Sweet Cherry Fruits From Tuscany in Italy

The human diet is characterized by highly energetic molecules, but it also requires non-energetic compounds that are equally useful for cell functioning and for preserving the organism's health status. These "functional" molecules are represented by a wide variety of plant secondary metabolites, such as terpenoids, vitamins and polyphenols with antioxidant power. Widespread commercial crop varieties often contain scarce levels of functional molecules, because they have been mostly selected for productivity, rather than for the content of secondary metabolites. Different scenarios (global economic situation, foreseeable environmental changes) are pushing farmers to review the use of high yield crops and to focus on the valorization of locally-adapted plants. This renewed interest is strengthened by the growing need of consumers for functional foods with beneficial effects on human health and by the willingness to promote sustainable low-input agricultural practices exploiting local climate, soil, water, and (micro)biota. Here, we want to discuss a specific case study concerning locally-adapted crops in Tuscany (Italy). Analyses of nutraceutical molecules in locally-grown crop varieties (namely tomatoes, sweet cherries and onions) have shown that they are characterized by substantially higher functional molecule contents than commercial varieties. Our goal is to promote the high-throughput study of locally-adapted varieties to understand, in a medium-term perspective, whether the cultivation of such plants is a valuable support for the diet and an adequate local economic resource. Such plants can provide a boost to the regional economy, by diversifying the local crop-market landscape. Moreover, the exploitation of locally-grown plants results in the manufacture of fully-traceable products (from the raw bioresource to the finished product) with a "0 km" concept that minimizes the C footprint.

Toxic effect of sodium fluoride on hydroxyproline level and expression of collagen-1 gene in rat bone and its amelioration by Tamrindus indica L. fruit pulp extract

Excessive fluoride intoxication plays an important role in the development of dental, skeletal and non-skeletal fluorosis. The aim of this study was to ascertain the toxic effect of excessive fluoride ingestion on the level of hydroxyproline and expression of type 1 collagen gene in rat bone and its amelioration by supplementation with Tamarindus indica fruit pulp extract. Forty albino rats were randomly assigned to four groups. The first group served as control and received only tap water. The second group received sodium fluoride (200 ppm) through drinking water. The third group received T. indica fruit pulp extract (200 mg/kg body weight) alone and the fourth group received the T. indica fruit pulp extract (200 mg/kg body weight) along with fluorinated drinking water (200 ppm) daily by gavage for a period of 90 days. The level of hydroxyproline and expression of type 1 collagen gene using quantitative real time PCR in the tibia bone decreased significantly with continuous exposure to sodium fluoride. Co-administration of T. indica fruit pulp extract during exposure to fluoride through drinking water restored the level of calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase in serum and the concentration of hydroxyproline in urine. It increased the level of hydroxyproline and expression of type 1 collagen gene in the tibia as compared to untreated fluoride-exposed rats. It is concluded that T. indica fruit pulp extract has an ameliorative potential to protect the bone from fluoride induced collagen damage.

Differential distribution of amino acids in plants

Plants are a rich source of amino acids and their individual abundance in plants is of great significance especially in terms of food. Therefore, it is of utmost necessity to create a database of the relative amino acid contents in plants as reported in literature. Since in most of the cases complete analysis of profiles of amino acids in plants was not reported, the units used and the methods applied and the plant parts used were different, amino acid contents were converted into relative units with respect to lysine for statistical analysis. The most abundant amino acids in plants are glutamic acid and aspartic acid. Pearson's correlation analysis among different amino acids showed that there were no negative correlations between the amino acids. Cluster analysis (CA) applied to relative amino acid contents of different families. Alismataceae, Cyperaceae, Capparaceae and Cactaceae families had close proximity with each other on the basis of their relative amino acid contents. First three components of principal component analysis (PCA) explained 79.5% of the total variance. Factor analysis (FA) explained four main underlying factors for amino acid analysis. Factor-1 accounted for 29.4% of the total variance and had maximum loadings on glycine, isoleucine, leucine, threonine and valine. Factor-2 explained 25.8% of the total variance and had maximum loadings on alanine, aspartic acid, serine and tyrosine. 14.2% of the total variance was explained by factor-3 and had maximum loadings on arginine and histidine. Factor-4 accounted 8.3% of the total variance and had maximum loading on the proline amino acid. The relative content of different amino acids presented in this paper is alanine (1.4), arginine (1.8), asparagine (0.7), aspartic acid (2.4), cysteine (0.5), glutamic acid (2.8), glutamine (0.6), glycine (1.0), histidine (0.5), isoleucine (0.9), leucine (1.7), lysine (1.0), methionine (0.4), phenylalanine (0.9), proline (1.1), serine (1.0), threonine (1.0), tryptophan (0.3), tyrosine (0.7) and valine (1.2).

A Comprehensive Review on Rasam: A South Indian Traditional Functional Food

The view that food can have an expanded role that goes well beyond providing a source of nutrients truly applies to traditional functional foods. The systematic consumption of such traditional functional food provides an excellent preventive measure to ward off many diseases. Rasam, a soup of spices, is a traditional South Indian food. It is traditionally prepared using tamarind juice as a base, with the addition of Indian sesame oil, turmeric, tomato, chili pepper, pepper, garlic, cumin, curry leaves, mustard, coriander, asafoetida, sea salt, and water. Rasam is a classic example of traditional functional food with all its ingredients medicinally claimed for various ailments. The preclinical and clinical studies on rasam and its ingredients support their traditional claim. This review is an attempt to compile the literatures on rasam, its ingredients, and to highlight its medicinal potential that has been underestimated.

Assessment of nutritional quality, glycaemic index, antidiabetic and sensory properties of plantain (Musa paradisiaca)-based functional dough meals

Nutrition transition to high energy-dense foods has been implicated as the major causes of diet related diseases. Plantain-based dough meals supplemented with soybean cake and cassava fibre were developed by combining them in different proportions using response surface methodology. The flour blends were analyzed for the nutritional composition while the glycaemic index, antidiabetic potentials and protein digestibility of the dough meals were determined in wistar rats. The nutritional and essential amino acid contents of the flour blends were comparable to that of cerolina (a commercially available food product commonly recommended for diabetic patients). The rats fed with the formulated dough meals had lower glycaemic index and glycaemic load, and the blood glucose was significantly reduced compared to cerolina and metformin (a synthetic antidiabetic drug). All the plantain-based dough meals were comparable to cerolina and metformin in terms of nutritional quality and blood glycaemic control activities, respectively. Hence, the formulated plantain-based dough meals have potential to be used for the prevention and management of diabetes mellitus.

Dichloromethane-methanol extract from Borassus aethiopumn mart. (Arecaceae) induces apoptosis of human colon cancer HT-29 cells

Borassus aetihiopum MART (Arecaceae) is a plant used in traditional herbal medicine for the treatment of various diseases (bronchitis, laryngitis, antiseptic). In particular, their male inflorcscences were reported to exhibit cicatrizing, antiseptic and fungicidal properties. In the present study, the biological activity of E2F2, an apolar extract from Borassus aethiopum male inflorescence was investigated on colon cancer HT29 cells. Phytochemical screening was carried according to methodology for chemical analysis for vegetable drugs. Cells proliferation was determined by the MTT assay and cells cycle distribution was analysed by using laser flow cytometer (Beckman coulter). The cytoskeleton organisation was examined under a laser scanning confocal microscope (Zess). Preliminary phytochemical analysis of E2F2 extract revealed the presence of sterols, triterpenes and saponosids. E2F2 extract (1 microg and 100 microg mL(-1)) significantly inhibited cell proliferation by blocking cell population in G0/G1 phase. Flow Cytometric analysis of E2F2-treated HT29 cells showed that hypoploïd cell population (sub G1 phase) increased with processing time exposures. Immunofluorescence confocal analysis revealed a disrupt actin microfilaments network in E2F2 treated-cells with a significant reduction in actin stress fibres and appearance of a random, non-oriented distribution of focal adhesion sites. These data indicate that E2F2 extract has anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activities. Further studies are required to unravel the mechanisms of action of E2F2 extract.

Tamarindus indica L. (Fabaceae): patterns of use in traditional African medicine

To increase the understanding of the ethnopharmacology of a single species, elaboration of dispersed primary data is required. Tamarindus indica L. (Fabaceae), or tamarind, is a common tree, especially in West Africa, with a good potential to contribute to affordable local health care based on traditional medicine (TM). For this single species review, more than 60 references with detailed information on the ethnopharmacology of Tamarindus indica in the African context were selected. It showed that most prominently, the fruits are used as laxative or febrifuge throughout the Sahel and Soudan ecological zones. Tamarind bark and leaves are often involved in the treatment of wounds, especially in central West Africa. While the bark is used to treat diarrhoea in West Africa, the leaves are used for this purpose in East Africa. Our findings suggest a difference in the way tamarind is used between East and West Africa and we assess the similarities of its uses within those regions. This review demonstrates the capability of literature research to reveal knowledge by mining and compiling information from the growing body of primary ethnopharmacologic data, much of which is published in this journal. By creating a specific profile of tamarind in the context of traditional medicine throughout Africa, the authors contribute to the collection of current ethnobotanic species accounts on Tamarindus indica that tend to be qualitative and more general.

Can coca leaves contribute to improving the nutritional status of the Andean population?

BACKGROUND

Coca leaves (Erythroxylum coca) have been promoted as a food that could address the dietary deficiencies of the Andean population, but this is based on nutrient analyses of a small sample of leaves.

OBJECTIVE

We assessed the nutritional potential of eight samples of coca leaves grown in different regions of Peru.

METHODS

We used AOAC techniques to measure nutrients, nutrient inhibitors (phytate, polyphenols, oxalic acid, and fiber), and alkaloid concentrations, all expressed per 100 g dry weight (DW) of the ground leaves. Minerals were measured by inductively coupled lasma- mass spectrometry in n twondependent laboratories.

RESULTS

The leaves contained protein, , 20.28 g/1 0DW with lysine as the limiting amino acid; n-cbetarotene, 3.51 mg/100gDW ; vitamin E, 16.72 mg/100gDW ; trace amounts of vitamin D; calcium, 990.18 and 1033.17 mg/100 gDW at two different laboratories; iron, 29.16 and 29.16 mg/100 gDW; zinc, 2.71 and 2.63 mg/100 gDW; and magnesium, 225.19 and 196.69 mg/l001gDW Cocaine was the principal alkaloid, with a concentration of 0.56 g/100 gDW; other alkaloids were also identified. The results were compared with those for other edible leaves. The nutrient contributions of coca powder (5 g) and bread made with coca were compared with those of normal portions of alternative foods.

CONCLUSIONS

Two spoonfuls of coca leaf flour would satisfy less than 10% of dietary intakes for schoolchildren and adults for critical commonly deficient nutrients in the diet. Coca leaves do not provide nutritional benefits when eaten in the recommended quantities, and the presence of absorbable cocaine and other alkaloids may be potentially harmful; hence coca leaves cannot be recommended as a food.

Polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of fourteen wild edible fruits from Burkina Faso

A total of fourteen (14) species of wild edible fruits from Burkina Faso were analyzed for their phenolic and flavonoid contents, and their antioxidant activities using the DPPH, FRAP and ABTS methods. The data obtained show that the total phenolic and total flavonoid levels were significantly higher in the acetone than in the methanol extracts.Detarium microcarpum fruit had the highest phenolic and the highest flavonoid content,followed by that of Adansonia digitata, Ziziphus mauritiana, Ximenia americana and Lannea microcarpa. Significant amounts of total phenolics were also detected in the other fruit species in the following order of decreasing levels: Tamarindus indica > Sclerocaryabirrea > Dialium guineense > Gardenia erubescens > Diospyros mespiliformis > Parkiabiglobosa > Ficus sycomorus > Vitellaria paradoxa. Detarium microcarpum fruit also showed the highest antioxidant activity using the three antioxidant assays. Fruits with high antioxidant activities were also found to possess high phenolic and flavonoid contents. There was a strong correlation between total phenolic and flavonoid levels and antioxidant activities.