A Review on Piper betle L.: Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, Extraction and Application in Food Product Development

Abstract

Betel leaf (Piper betle L.) is a rich source of nutrients which attracts attention. Betel leaves utilized in various form like extract, extract oil and essential oil which contains 20 to 60 major and minor chemical compounds like eugenol (48.41%), estragole (16.12%), α-copaene (6.43%), anethol (2.62%) and eucalyptol (1.58%). This oil has been reported by several clinical studies to have potential roles in disease management. However, 35-70% of betel leaves are lost during processing. Therefore, extraction of valuable compounds from surplus leaves act as one of the post-harvest loss reduction methods. The beneficial effect of betel leave extract is depending on the availability of chemical compounds which varies based on the extraction system. So, selection and application of suitable extraction techniques play a crucial role in the process. The utilization of betel leave in food products development is an emerging strategy in the growing economy. Its importance to explore the application of betel leaves in traditional and modern food system. This review focused on nutrient, potential health benefits, novel extraction methods, recent application of betel leaf oil and extract in food product development for human consumption and food preservation with the aim of providing suggestions for its exploitation.