Functional polysaccharides of carob fruit: a review

Zhu, Baojie; Zayed, Mohamed Zaky; Zhu, Hai‐Liang; Zhao, Jing; Li, Shao‐Ping

doi:10.1186/s13020-019-0261-x

Cited by 45 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…Although carob pulp is reported to exert several biological effects mainly because of the presence of phenolic compounds [26,30]. In this study we have focused in analyzing the effects of supplementation with a carob pod and seeds extract, since it is reported that these parts contain higher amounts of galactomanns, gallic acid, and gallotannins and exert a stronger antioxidant capacity as well as anti-hypertensive effects in vitro [31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supplementation with a Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) Fruit Extract Attenuates the Cardiometabolic Alterations Associated with Metabolic Syndrome in Mice

et al. 2020

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The incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasing worldwide which makes necessary the finding of new strategies to treat and/or prevent it. The aim of this study was to analyze the possible beneficial effects of a carob fruit extract (CSAT+®) on the cardiometabolic alterations associated with MetS in mice. 16-week-old C57BL/6J male mice were fed for 26 weeks either with a standard diet (chow) or with a diet rich in fats and sugars (HFHS), supplemented or not with 4.8% of CSAT+®. CSAT+® supplementation reduced blood glucose, Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and circulating levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (LDL-c), insulin, and interleukin-6 (IL-6). In adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, CSAT+® prevented MetS-induced insulin resistance, reduced macrophage infiltration and the expression of pro-inflammatory markers, and up-regulated the mRNA levels of antioxidant markers. Supplementation with CSAT+® prevented MetS-induced hypertension and decreased the vascular response of aortic rings to angiotensin II (AngII). Moreover, treatment with CSAT+® attenuated endothelial dysfunction and increased vascular sensitivity to insulin. In the heart, CSAT+® supplementation reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and prevented ischemia-reperfusion-induced decrease in cardiac contractility. The beneficial effects at the cardiovascular level were associated with a lower expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant markers in aortic and cardiac tissues.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supplementation with a Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) Fruit Extract Attenuates the Cardiometabolic Alterations Associated with Metabolic Syndrome in Mice

et al. 2020

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“…This research contributes to authenticity of carobs, adding value to local products.Metabolites 2020, 10, 62 2 of 11 demands. Carob flesh is rich in minerals, dietary fibers, sugars, polyphenols, D-pinitol and with low fat content, whereas the seed is abundant with locust bean gum (E 410), a natural hydrocolloid widely used in the food industry [3][4][5][6][7]. The chemical composition of carob flesh is presented in Table 1; however, these values are affected by various practices and factors (e.g., farming, genotyping, climate, soil, etc.).…”

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confidence: 99%

Use of Chemometrics for Correlating Carobs Nutritional Compositional Values with Geographic Origin

et al. 2020

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Carobs unique compositional and biological synthesis enables their characterization as functional foods. In the present study, 76 samples derived from fruit and seeds of carobs, with origin from the countries of the Mediterranean region (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Jordan and Palestine) were analyzed for their nutritional composition, in order to identify potential markers for their provenance and address the carobs' authenticity issue. Moisture, ash, fat, proteins, sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose), dietary fibers and minerals (Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn) were estimated following official methods. Due to the large number of data (76 samples × 17 parameters × 7 countries), chemometric techniques were employed to process them and extract conclusions. The samples of different geographical origin were discriminated with 79% success in total. The carobs from Cyprus, Italy and Spain were correctly classified without error. The main discriminators were found to be the dietary fibers, the carbohydrates and Cu, Zn and Mn, which emphasize their specific nutritional added value to the product and the country of origin impact. The results suggest that the proposed analytical approach is a powerful tool that enables the discrimination of carobs based on their country of origin. This research contributes to authenticity of carobs, adding value to local products.Metabolites 2020, 10, 62 2 of 11 demands. Carob flesh is rich in minerals, dietary fibers, sugars, polyphenols, D-pinitol and with low fat content, whereas the seed is abundant with locust bean gum (E 410), a natural hydrocolloid widely used in the food industry [3][4][5][6][7]. The chemical composition of carob flesh is presented in Table 1; however, these values are affected by various practices and factors (e.g., farming, genotyping, climate, soil, etc.). Environmentally speaking, the wide presence of carobs in the Mediterranean region can be attributed to combat the negative effects of climate change. The biological importance of carob leaves as a potential antifeedant was recently revealed [8]. The complexity of carob metabolome in combination with origin, ripening and roasting was studied using hyphenated state-of-the-art liquid and gas mass spectrometric systems [9]. The positive biological effects of carobs in the gastrointestinal tract, consumed either as water diluted food [10] or as an alcoholic drink [11], is still triggering the interest of researchers. Last but not least, is the carob's unique sensorial characteristics, as both the fruit and the carob-products, are associated with a strong and persisting unique aroma [12].

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“…Carob ( Ceratonia siliqua L.) is an evergreen tree widely cultivated in the Mediterranean area. It belongs to the Leguminosae family and its scientific name derives from the Greek word “ kera ”, due to the keratomorphic shape of the fruit, and the Latin word “ siliqua ”, related to the hardness and shape of the pods [ 1 , 2 ]. The carob fruit (bean) is called pod and consists of two parts: the seeds (10%) and the pulp (90%).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carob Seeds: Food Waste or Source of Bioactive Compounds?

et al. 2020

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(1) Background: For centuries, carob fruit has been used in the food field, while carob seeds have been mainly considered as food waste. Nowadays, there has been considerable attention toward the recovery of the waste plant matrices as possible sources of functional compounds with health properties. Therefore, our goal was to evaluate the health properties of carob seed extracts, and to study the effects of the ripening process on the chemical composition of the extracts. (2) Methods: After the mechanical separation of seeds from carob fruit, an ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was performed to maximize and preserve the quality of bioactive compounds. Seed extracts were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) for the content of bioactive polyphenols, and were finally analyzed by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), NO Scavenger (NO) and advanced glyoxidation end products (AGEs) assays, in order to estimate the antioxidant potential of the active compounds. (3) Results: Although both seed extracts of carob unripe (CAR-UR) and ripe (CAR-R) showed an interesting antioxidant activity, CAR-R had greater activity due to the procyanidins content. (4) Conclusions: Based on the obtained results, carob seed extracts could be regarded as interesting source of bioactive antioxidant compounds for a potential application in nutraceutical and food supplement fields.

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Functional polysaccharides of carob fruit: a review

Cited by 45 publications

References 85 publications

Supplementation with a Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) Fruit Extract Attenuates the Cardiometabolic Alterations Associated with Metabolic Syndrome in Mice

Supplementation with a Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) Fruit Extract Attenuates the Cardiometabolic Alterations Associated with Metabolic Syndrome in Mice

Use of Chemometrics for Correlating Carobs Nutritional Compositional Values with Geographic Origin

Carob Seeds: Food Waste or Source of Bioactive Compounds?

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