Food Glycoalkaloids: Distribution, Structure, Cytotoxicity, Extraction, and Biological Activity

Abstract

Glycoalkaloids (GA), generally occur as plant steroidal glycosides, are secondary metabolites produced in the leaves, flowers, roots, and edible parts including sprouts and skin of the plants of Solanaceae family. Many of the plants in this family have been stable parts of human diets for centuries, and thus, the occurrence of these compounds has been extensively studied mainly due to concerns regarding their toxicity. GAs are produced by plants as a resistance to challenges such as insects and pests but may also produce concentration-dependent toxic effects in humans. Postharvest conditions such as light, temperature, humidity, and processing conditions may also affect GA content in edible plants producing them. Since these compounds also possess biological properties such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticarcinogenic activities, it could be a useful strategy to use novel extraction techniques to maintaining bioactivities after extraction and simultaneously to reduce toxicity in the source plants. This chapter aims to describe alkaloids especially GAs commonly occurring in foods, their structure and toxicity, and postharvesting practices which influence alkaloid content and utilization of conventional and novel technologies to extract food alkaloids.

High-Pressure Processing and Ultrasonication of Minimally Processed Potatoes: Effect on the Colour, Microbial Counts, and Bioactive Compounds

“…A previous study [14] found no statistically significant changes to the glycoalkaloid content of whole potatoes after HPP treatment. Since the glycoalkaloids are present on the skin (usually no deeper than 3 mm) [50,51], minimal processing can result in their decrease and the HPP/US could also trigger degradation to aglycone alkaloids, which can explain the contradiction between the findings of the current study and those from previous work.…”

Perspective Chapter: Integrated Network Pharmacology and Multiomics Approach to Elucidate the Repositioning of Fatal Food Toxins to Lifesaving Anticancer Drug

“…Studies have shown that glycoalkaloids are involved in the regulation of plant growth and development, including the formation of roots, shoots, and leaves. They have also been reported to have antioxidant properties, which can help protect plants from oxidative stress caused by environmental factors, such as UV radiation [19,20].…”

Naturally Occurring Plant Food Toxicants and the Role of Food Processing Methods in Their Detoxification

“…Potatoes ( Solanum tuberosum ), contains ( α -solanine and α -chaconine), tomatoes ( Solanum lycopersicum ) ( α -tomatine), eggplants ( Solanum melongena ) ( α -solamargine), and aubergines ( Solanum melongena ) are all members of the Solanaceae family known to produce significant amounts of glycoakaloids [ 5 ]. The toxin is particularly produced in the roots, leaves, flowers, and edible parts of plants, including sprouts and skin [ 66 – 68 ]. Figure 3 shows the potato.…”