Seeds as Potential Sources of Phenolic Compounds and Minerals for the Indian Population

Abstract

Seeds are major sources of nutrients and bioactive compounds for human beings. In this work, the chemical composition and physicochemical properties of 155 Indian seeds (belonging to 49 families) are reported. Moisture and ash were measured with reference protocols from AOAC; total polyphenols and flavonoids were measured with spectrophotometric methods after extraction with organic solvents, and mineral elements were determined by X-ray fluorescence spectrophotometry. Total phenolic compounds, flavonoids and mineral contents (Al, Ba, Ca, Cl, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, P, Rb, S, Sr, Ti, V and Zn) were found to vary in the ranges 182–5000, 110–4465 and 687–7904 mg/100 g (DW), respectively. Noticeably, polyphenol contents higher than 2750 mg/100 g were observed in 18 seeds. In addition, mineral contents >5000 mg/100 g were detected in the seeds from Cuminum cyminum, Foeniculum vulgare, Commiphora wightii, Parkia javanica, Putranjiva roxburghii, Santalum album and Strychnos potatorum. Botanical and taxonomical variations in the proximate characteristics of the examined seeds are also discussed.

Current perspectives on fenugreek bioactive compounds and their potential impact on human health: A review of recent insights into functional foods and other high value applications

“…Several classes of phenolic compounds, mainly flavonoids, phenolic acids, coumarins, stilbenoids, and tyrosol, have been isolated from fenugreek leaves, seeds, stems, and flowers (Han et al, 2001;Nagulapalli Venkata et al, 2017) where they probably occur in both soluble form and insoluble form bound to cell walls. The total phenolic content (TP) of the seeds reported in different studies (6.5-80 mg GAE/g, Table 1) is consistent with values reported in other seeds of the Fabaceae family (257-3494 mg/100 g) and seeds in general (2784 mg/100 g on average) (Sahu et al, 2022). The high levels of flavonoids evidenced in recent reports based on HPLC analysis (Salam et al, 2023) suggest some similarity with other Fabaceae seeds and point to a relatively high ratio of total flavonoids (TF)/TP akin to the proportions reported in other seeds, around 0.05-0.95 (Cervera-Mata et al, 2022;Sahu et al, 2022).…”

“…The total phenolic content (TP) of the seeds reported in different studies (6.5-80 mg GAE/g, Table 1) is consistent with values reported in other seeds of the Fabaceae family (257-3494 mg/100 g) and seeds in general (2784 mg/100 g on average) (Sahu et al, 2022). The high levels of flavonoids evidenced in recent reports based on HPLC analysis (Salam et al, 2023) suggest some similarity with other Fabaceae seeds and point to a relatively high ratio of total flavonoids (TF)/TP akin to the proportions reported in other seeds, around 0.05-0.95 (Cervera-Mata et al, 2022;Sahu et al, 2022). In the seeds, TP was found to be 1.6 time more concentrated in the husk than in the endosperm (103 vs. 65 mg GAE/g) (Naidu et al, 2011).…”

Comparative Analysis of Traditional Oriental Herbal Fruits as Potential Sources of Polyphenols and Minerals for Nutritional Supplements

“…After centrifugation, the supernatant was collected [ 33 ]. The total phenolic content (TPh) of each extract was determined as rutin hydrate, using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and according to the method of Singleton, Orthofer, and Lamuela-Raventós [ 34 , 35 ]. The flavonoid (Fla) content was determined by the aluminum chloride method as quercetin [ 36 ].…”

Nutritional, bioactive components and health properties of the milpa triad system seeds (corn, common bean and pumpkin)

“…The mineral content depends on several factors, such as genotype and environmental conditions during cultivation. The mineral profile is variable among the milpa triad (corn: K > P > Mg > Ca > Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu; common beans: Fe > Zn > K > P > Mg > Cu > Mn > Ca; pumpkin seeds: P > K > Mg > Ca > Zn > Fe > Mn > Cu) ( 11 , 17 , 47 , 48 , 63 – 68 ).…”