Betelvine (Piper betle L.): A comprehensive insight into its ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and pharmacological, biomedical and therapeutic attributes

Piper betle L. (synonym: Piper betel Blanco), or betel vine, an economically and medicinally important cash crop, belongs to the family Piperaceae, often known as the green gold. The plant can be found all over the world and is cultivatedprimarily in South East Asian countries for its beautiful glossy heart-shaped leaves, which are chewed or consumed as betelquidand widely used in Chinese and Indian folk medicine, as carminative, stimulant,astringent, against parasitic worms, conjunctivitis, rheumatism, wound, etc., andis also used for religious purposes. Hydroxychavicol is the most important bioactive compound among the wide range of phytoconstituents found in essential oil and extracts. The pharmacological attributes of P. betle are antiproliferation, anticancer, neuropharmacological, analgesic, antioxidant, antiulcerogenic, hepatoprotective, antifertility, antibacterial, antifungal and many more. Immense attention has been paid to nanoformulations and their applications. The application of P. betle did not show cytotoxicity in preclinical experiments, suggesting that it could serve as a promising therapeutic candidate for different diseases. The present review comprehensively summarizes the botanical description, geographical distribution, economic value and cultivation, ethnobotanical uses, preclinical pharmacological properties with insights of toxicological, clinical efficacy, and safety of P. betle. The findings suggest that P. betle represents an orally active and safe natural agent that exhibits great therapeutic potential for managing various human medical conditions. However, further research is needed to elucidate its underlying molecular mechanisms of action, clinical aspects, structure-activity relationships, bioavailability and synergistic interactions with other drugs.

Bio-actives of betel leaf (Piper betle L.): A comprehensive review on extraction, isolation, characterization, and biological activity

Piper betle L., belonging to Piperaceae family, known as a traditional herbal medicinal plant and used for several health benefits in Asian countries. Currently, demand for its products such as herbal drugs, medicines, and natural herbal formulations has increased. The beneficial effects of betel leaves and its products have traditionally exploited for the treatment of several diseases like bad breath, cuts, injuries, inflammations, cold cough, indigestion, etc. Till now, a broad range of bioactive compounds including polyphenols, terpenes, etc., has been identified from the extracts and essential oil (EO) of betel leaves. The structural and functional characterization of the extract and EO bio-actives has been derived by various advanced standard methods. Most of the health-related benefits of betel leaves have been associated with their bioactive phenolic compounds. The extract of this highly perishable product can be used in organic synthesis, food, and beverage industry, pharmaceuticals, etc., to the environmental issues. The present review provides information on extraction techniques, identification of bioactive compounds, and their biological activities. That apart, information on processing, preservation, and health benefits along with their mechanisms has also been added.

Rheological, Antioxidative, and Sensory Properties of Chinese Alkaline Noodle Prepared with Regular and Whole Wheat Flour

Chinese alkaline noodle (CAN) is one of popular staple foods in Asia. Whole wheat flour (WWF) is healthier than refined wheat flour (WF). This study investigated the effect of substitution level of WWF on physicochemical and sensory properties of CAN. Results showed that increasing WWF amount significantly reduced tensile strength (TS) and extensibility (E) of cooked CAN, but increased TS/E ratio from 6.05 to 13.22 mN/mm. High WWF substitution (>60 %) significantly increased cooking loss and decreased the elasticity of CAN. CAN prepared with WWF had darker, redder and yellower color than control. However, free and bound phenolics and DPPH radical scavenging capacity of CAN obviously increased with the amount of WWF. CAN with 0–40 % WWF had similar sensory scores in color, flavor, texture and overall preferences. The study suggests that healthy whole grain CAN with higher phytochemicals and acceptable eating quality can be produced by using 20–40 % WWF.

Convective Air Drying Characteristics and Qualities of Non-fried Instant Noodles

Convective air drying characteristics and qualities of non-fried instant noodles at five temperatures from 80 to 120°C and velocities of 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 m/s were investigated. Different mathematical models were fitted to study the drying behaviors and the Logarithmic model was the most adequate in describing the drying tests. Results showed that the drying process occurred in a falling rate periods and the effective moisture diffusivity increased with temperature and velocity, ranging from 4.41×10−8 to 1.75×10−7 m2/s with an activation energy of 16.73 kJ/mol. The rehydration attributes changed with both velocity and temperature. Increasing temperature and velocity decreased hardness, increased cohesiveness and resilience generally while had no impact on springiness. Drying temperature greatly influenced the color of noodles, whereas velocity displayed no significant effect. Microstructural analysis indicated that noodle presented hollow and porous structure with numerous and small voids, which might partly explain their distinct behaviors.

The Effects of Nano-SiO2 on Mechanical, Barrier, and Moisture Sorption Isotherm Models of Novel Soluble Soybean Polysaccharide Films

In this research, a novel polysaccharide-based bionanocomposite film was prepared via dispersion casting method. Nano-silicon dioxide (SiO2-N) was incorporated into soluble soybean polysaccharide (SSPS) at different concentrations (i.e., 0%, 1%, 3%, and 5% w/w dried SSPS). Mechanical (tensile strength, elongation at break, and Young’s modulus), physical (moisture content, water solubility, and moisture uptake), and barrier properties of bionanocomposite films were evaluated. Incorporation of 5% SiO2-N to SSPS matrix decreased water vapor permeability (WVP) from 7.96×10−11 to 4.75×10−11 g m−1 s−1 Pa−1 and oxygen permeability from 215 to 96 cm3 µm m−2 day−1 atm−1. Heat seal strength and mechanical properties of SSPS films were improved. Moisture sorption isotherm of SSPS films supported by SiO2-N was shifted to lower moisture content, and monolayer moisture content of the films decreased significantly (p<0.05). In summary, SiO2-N is a potential filler in SSPS-based films for packaging materials.