Carob: A Sustainable Opportunity for Metabolic Health

Abstract

Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) is an evergreen tree that belongs to the Leguminosae family and grows in the arid and semi-arid regions of the Mediterranean basin. The carob tree is resistant to droughts and salinity, while its deep root systems allow CO2 to sink, mitigating global warming effects. Traditionally, carob has been used to produce animal feed, but for many years, it was excluded from the human diet. Nowadays, agricultural and industrial sectors exploit carob fruit, also referred to as carob pod, and its primary products (i.e., flour, powder and syrup) to develop a variety of foods and beverages. The nutritional composition varies depending on the carob part but also on genetic, cultivar, seasonal and environmental factors. Despite the high sugar content, the carob pod is rich in insoluble fiber and microconstituents including phenolic compounds, inositols (mainly d-pinitol) and vitamins. In the present review article, we aimed to (a) highlight the role of carob cultivation in addressing climate change challenges and the need for sustainability, and (b) summarize the effects of carob consumption on obesity and related metabolic disorders.

Carob as an Agrifood Chain Product of Cultural, Agricultural and Economic Importance in the Mediterranean Region

“…In view of the growing climatic crisis Ceratonia siliqua L. can be a promising course of action both ecologically as well as economically, which contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals across the Mediterranean area: SDG2, to eliminate hunger by promoting sustainable agriculture and the conservation of local biodiversity and improving nutrition; SDG3, to strengthen good health and wellbeing; SDG12, to manage consumption and production using renewable resources, reducing toxic waste, decreasing the C footprint and changing cultivation e.g. wheat to carob; SDG13, to prevent climate change and its impacts by specific actions such as to restore forest land, like carob land, to avoid the increase in agricultural use and industrialization; and SDG15, to promote sustainable forest management, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss (Gioxari et al, 2022;UNICEF, 2022).…”

Utilization of Carob Bean Pulp and Seeds in Preparing Functional CupCake and Tortilla Bread

“…The result of chemical composition for roasted carob powder was in the range of Amer et al (2019), who reported the carob powder contained 5.1 % protein, 0.55 % fat, 3.5 % ash, and 10.99 % fiber. Carob bean gum had the highest significant total carbohydrates contents, this is due to the galactomannan makes up the majority of gum, and after seed processing, crude galactomannan can go through additional steps to remove both protein content and contaminants (Gioxari et al, 2022). El-Kholy et al (2015) analyzed the chemical composition of carob bean gum, and they found that carob bean gum contained 11.17, 0.74, 0.92, 0.73, 0.65, and 96.96% of moisture, crude protein, fat, crude fiber, ash, and total carbohydrates, respectively.…”

Studies on the use of carob powder and Bacillus subtilis for improving functionality of the cereal bars

“…As expected, the cereal bars with carob (SC and SCB) presented a higher content of total phenols (p<0.05). Carob was reported to be rich in phenolic compounds like gallic acid, gallotannins, cinnamic acid, myricetin, and flavonoids (Gioxari et al, 2022). Youssef et al (2013) reported 11 phenolic compounds in the carob powder, among which pyrogallol, catechol, chlorogenic and protocatechuic acids are the most abundant.…”