Bioactive components of two species of locally grown nuts: Their potential health benefits and implications for healthy living
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31989/bchd.v4i12.869Abstract
Background: Bioactive compounds are naturally occurring compounds in plants and animal products. They are known to have a variety of physiological functions in the body system such as: promoting general body development and prevention of the occurrence of some deadly diseases. The high burden of treatment of some deadly diseases like cancer, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases has raised the need for scientists to generate empirical evidence on preventing these diseases using a dietary approach. Nuts have been identified as plants with potential to improve human health and prevent diseases when consumed adequately because of their rich constituents. This research work was conducted to evaluate and elucidate the bioactive components of locally grown nuts and their potential health benefits.
Methods: The Phenolic compounds, phytosterols, tocopherols, and tocotrienols contents of the nuts were analyzed using standard methods.
Results: Fourteen phenolic compounds were detected in the two nuts with cinnamic and gallic acids detected in appreciable amounts in groundnuts and caffeic acid in cashew nut. The total amount of tocopherols in cashew nut was 14.08 mg/100g and 37.95 mg/100g in groundnut and the total tocotrienol was 0.85 and 4.00 × 10-3 mg/100g for cashew nut and groundnut respectively. Both samples have high quantity of sistosterol (251.36mg/100g and 238.95 mg/ 100g for cashew nut and groundnut respectively) with cashew nut having significantly higher amount.
Conclusion: The results showed that the nuts are rich in bioactive compounds and could be considered as natural sources of bioactive compounds that can be obtained from diets rich in these nuts to prevent the occurrence of certain deadly human diseases that are of high burden worldwide.
Keywords: Phenolic Compounds, Tocopherols, Groundnuts, Cashew nuts
Pubblicato
Fascicolo
Sezione
Licenza
Any manuscripts or substantial parts of it, submitted to the journal must not be under consideration by or previously published in any other journal or citable form. Authors are required to ensure that no material submitted as part of a manuscript infringes existing copyrights or the rights of a third party. In submitting one's article in any form, the author has assigned the FFC publishing rights and has agreed to an automatic transfer of the copyright to the publisher. This is so that the FFC may create print option journals, for example, at the FFC’s discretion. If the author wishes to distribute their works by means outside of the FFC, for example within their community, they will have to place a request.
Correspondence concerning articles published in Functional Foods in Health and Disease is encouraged. While derivative works (adaptations, extensions on the current work, etc.) are allowed, distribution of the modified material is not allowed without permission from the FFC.