Aonla phytochemicals: extraction, identification and quantification

Recent Insights into the Morphological, Nutritional and Phytochemical Properties of Indian Gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica) for the Development of Functional Foods

Aonla, commonly known as Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica), is a plant native to India with various therapeutic and dietary benefits. This review covers the taxonomical, morphological, and species-level classifications of aonla fruit, including its flower biology, maturation, harvesting, and yield metrics. It also discusses the nutritional, physico-chemical, and phytochemical characteristics and the total antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and mineral compositions of several aonla fruit cultivars. Additionally, the health benefits of aonla are reviewed, including its analgesic, antipyretic, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, ulcerogenic, chemo-protective, neuroprotective, free radical scavenging, hypoglycaemic, and immunogenic properties, which make it beneficial in the treatment and prevention of various illnesses. Further various forms of fruit extract are also considered to be beneficial for the improvement of plant and animal health. Overall, aonla is a valuable fruit with significant potential for use in improving human health.

A chemometric approach to evaluate the effects of probe-type ultrasonication on the enzyme inactivation and quality attributes of fresh amla juice

The enzymatic browning induced in amla juice due to the high activity of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) is one of the critical issues faced by the industry. The present study assessed the suitability of non-thermal, high-intensity ultrasound (US) on the inactivation of PPO and POD in fresh Indian Gooseberry juice. Ultrasonic waves, using a 6 mm titanium alloy probe were irradiated in the juice at a maximum power of 455 W and frequency of 20 kHz. The subsequent effects on biochemical attributes were studied using response surface methodology. Inactivation rates of 90.72 % and 73.18 %, respectively, for PPO and POD enzymes, were observed at the highest US intensity and exposure time. Numerical optimisation using the three-factor, three-level Box-Behnken design suggested that an optimum process at 70 % (energy density: 1610 Wcm^-2) pulsed at 5 s on and 5 s off for 7 min 30 s resulted in PPO and POD inactivation of the order of 76.42 % and 64.57 % respectively. At these experimental conditions, the optimized levels of biochemical attributes i.e., ascorbic acid (738.50 mg/100 mL), total phenols (17.10 mg/mL), DPPH antioxidant activity (58.47 %), tannins (7.11 µg/mL), colour change (ΔE = 9.04) and flavonoids (6.14 mg/mL) were achieved. The overall statistical models were significant for all the responses except for reducing sugars. Furthermore, the approximation equations for individual responses indicated that the goodness of fit was adequate (R² > 0.90). The results suggested that ultrasound is a suitable processing technique for amla juice stabilisation compared to thermal treatments that result in the loss of quality.

Insight about the biochemical composition, postharvest processing, therapeutic potential of Indian gooseberry (amla), and its utilization in development of functional foods-A comprehensive review

Indian gooseberry/Amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn. syn. Phyllanthus emblica L) has an amazing nutritional profile and is a reservoir of biologically active compounds which have potential health benefits and are regarded as a remedy for lethal diseases. The unique features of amla, conferred by their bioactive components, have extended future prospects about their usage for useful effects on human nutrition and health globally. With the rapidly growing popularity of this unique therapeutic fruit, it is important to have comprehensive knowledge of this fruit. The current review article presents the nutritional profile, bioactive components, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, and postharvest processing of amla fruit. Moreover, studies related to therapeutic properties of amla and its utilization in development of functional foods have been presented in this review. E. officinalis is a promising source of bioactive compounds which showed varied potential in the management of a number of human ailments which has been proven through various studies. Therefore, amla should be taken in the regular diet, thereby utilizing its potential health benefits. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Amla (Indian gooseberry), as source of natural bioactive compounds, has a great potential application in improving the status of human nutrition and health. The utilization of amla extract has various biological effects, like antimicrobial, antioxidant, gastroprotective, anticancer, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, radioprotective, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, neuroprotective, and immunomodulatory effect, owing to its bioactive components. The use of amla extract has recently increased in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic products to replace synthetic antioxidants which have inherent harmful health effects. The review report will provide information on bioactive components, therapeutic properties, utilization of amla in the development of future functional foods, and postharvest processing of amla, which will provide critical information to researchers all over the world.

Antioxidant characterization and in vitro DNA damage protection potential of some Indian fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) cultivars: effect of solvents

Indian fenugreek cultivars were characterized for their antioxidant properties and bioactive compounds were quantified using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The extraction efficiencies were compared for two extraction solvents [aqueous ethanol (50%) and methanol]. The bioactive properties studied were total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC), condensed tannin content (CTC), 2,2'-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS⁺), 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and reducing power activity (RPA). Aqueous ethanol extracts showed higher TPC, TFC, ABTS⁺, TAC and RPA as compared to methanol. However, methanolic extracts showed higher CTC and DPPH activity. Higher TPC [45.3 and 45.4 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dry weight basis (dwb)], DPPH (93.0 and 93.2%), ABTS⁺ (98.3 and 98.5%), RPA [40.9 and 44.9 mg quercetin equivalents (QE)/g dwb], were observed for cv.RMT-143 and cv.RMT-365, respectively. TFC (20.5 mg catechin equivalents (CE)/g dwb) and CTC (9.3 mg CE/g dwb) were found the highest for cv. Kasoori methi. Quantification of phenolic compounds using HPLC revealed higher amount of gallic acid (in Kasoori methi), ascorbic and p-coumaric acid (HM-57), benzoic and cinnamic acid (RMT-143) and catechol (only in RMT-365). Significant (p < 0.05) protection against in vitro plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) (pBR322) oxidative damage was observed for fenugreek extracts.