Some Wild Edible Plants and Their Dietary Fiber Contents

Nutritional characteristics and antiradical activity of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.), and carrot (Daucus carota L.) grown in Bangladesh

Curcuma longa L. (turmeric), Beta vulgaris L. (beetroot), and Daucus carota L. (carrot) grown in Bangladesh were analyzed for nutritional and phytochemical contents to reveal their comparative nutritional compositions and antiradical properties. Ash, protein, and carbohydrate content were significantly preeminent in beetroot as compared to others. Whereas fat content was found to be high in turmeric, carrots contained a great percentage of crude fiber. Beetroot was shown to have much greater potassium, calcium, and iron levels than others. Regarding amino acids, glutamic acid was found to be greater in beetroot and carrot whereas turmeric had significantly high aspartic acid content. Leucine had the highest concentration among essential amino acids in these three samples. Total antioxidant activity, total flavonoids, and phenolic contents in the methanolic extract of turmeric were found to be substantially higher than in beetroot and carrot. Furthermore, the extract of turmeric (IC50 value: 13.46 μg/mL) scavenged 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) free radicals considerably to a greater extent than beetroot (IC50 value: 380.61 μg/mL) and carrot (IC50 value: 1252.85 μg/mL). A positive correlation was found between the phytochemical contents and antiradical activity. The information from this study will help to find the potential ingredients from these plants for functional food.

Plants used against obesity in Turkish folk medicine: A review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Obesity is one of the growing public health problems in Turkey, as well as all over the world, threatening people of almost all ages. Turkey has a large potential for research on this topic due to owning broad ethnomedicinal experience and the richest flora (34% endemic) of Europe and the Middle East. Herbs that they have utilized for centuries to treat and prevent obesity can provide useful options to overcome this issue.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This survey was carried out to disclose the inventory of plant taxa that the people of Turkey have been using for a few centuries in treating obesity without any side effects or complications, and to compare them with experimental studies in the literature.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The research was achieved in two phases on the matter above by using electronic databases, such as Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, ProQuest, Medline, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, HighWire Press, PubMed and Google Scholar. Both results were shown in separate tables as well as the regional comparative analysis.

RESULTS

117 herbal taxa belonging to 45 families were identified among the selected 74 studies conducted in the seven regions of Turkey. However, only 49 (41.9%) of them were found to be subjected to worldwide in vitro and in vivo research conducted on anti-obesity activity. Quercetin (9.1%), gallic acid (6.1%) and ferulic acid and epigallocatechin gallate (4.5%) have been recorded as the most common active ingredients among the 66 active substances identified. Prunus avium (32.4%) and Rosmarinus officinalis (25.7%) were identified as the most common plants used in Turkey. Also, Portulaca oleracea and Brassica oleracea emerged as the most investigated taxa in the literature.

CONCLUSION

This is the first country-wide ethnomedical review conducted on obesity treatment with plants in Turkey. Evaluating the results of the experimental anti-obesity research conducted in the recent years in the literature, it was determined that forty-nine plants were verified. This clearly shows that these herbs have a high potential to be a pharmacological resource. Moreover, 68 (41.9%) taxa, which haven't been investigated yet, are likely to be a promising resource for national and international pharmacological researchers in terms of new natural medicine searches.

The effects of the fiber source and xylanase supplementation on production, egg quality, digestibility, and intestinal morphology in the aged laying hen

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the fiber source (wheat bran [WB] or sugar beet pulp [SBP]) and xylanase supplementation on production, egg quality, ileal digestibility, intestinal morphology, and gastrointestinal pH in aged laying hens. A total of 540 laying hens (Lohman LSL Lite; 70 wk of lay) were randomized into 10 treatments (6 replicate cages of 9 birds) consisting of a corn soy control supplemented with 0, 3, or 6% WB or SBP with or without xylanase (100 mg of xylanase preparation per kg) for a period of 9 wk in a 5 × 2 factorial arrangement. Hens fed with the diets containing either of the levels of SBP or 6% WB had lower hen-day production, and addition of the enzyme improved hen-day production (P < 0.05), but it could not compensate for the lost production due to the higher levels of either of the fiber sources. Supplementation of 6% SBP to the control diet decreased egg mass (P < 0.05). All fiber-supplemented diets significantly decreased ADFI, which was restored on enzyme addition, with the exception of 3% WB diet. Treatments had no effects on egg weight, feed conversion ratio, egg quality, and serum and carcass traits, except for ileum weight, which was greater in hens fed with the 6% SBP diet (P < 0.05). Adding 3% SBP increased ileal DM digestibility (P < 0.05). Addition of 3% WB improved jejunal villus height, villus height-to-crypt depth ratio, and villus surface area (P < 0.05). Villus surface area, DM, organic matter, and protein digestibility increased as a result of enzyme supplementation (P < 0.05). Cecal pH was reduced on feeding diets containing 3% WB, containing 3% SBP, and with enzyme supplementation (P < 0.05). In conclusion, addition of 3% WB in a corn soy control diet has the potential to improve small intestine morphology in older hens without adverse effects on performance, especially if accompanied by the use of an enzyme, which simultaneously improved morphological traits and nutrient digestibility.

Nutritional and Medicinal Importance of Dioscorea glabra R. Baron, a Potent Wild Edible Plant Consumed by the Lodha Tribal Community of West Bengal, India

Objective:

The present study designed to evaluate the proximate composition, minerals content and in vitro antioxidant properties, in the tuber of Dioscorea glabra R. Baron. The estimation of phenolic acids, polyphenolics and quantitation of water-soluble vitamins like ascorbic acid (C), thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6) and folic acid (B9) in the plant were carried out by High Performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method.

Methods:

The proximate parameters, minerals and toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury were estimated in the wild edible plant using standard food analysis techniques. The HPLC analysis was carried out using Dionex Ultimate 3000 liquid chromatograph attached with Acclaim C 18 column (5 μm particle size, 250 x 4.6 mm), and photo diode array (PDA) detector.

Results:

The present study showed the presence of a very good amount of protein (4.823±0.041%), carbohydrate (42.43±0.057%) and minerals and heavy metals in various amount. The total phenolic and flavonoid content were found 335.64 ± 3.92 mg/100gm and 65.73 mg/100gm, respectively in the plant. The plant showed the presence of a very good amount of vitamin C (23.49±0.0413 mg/100gm) along with water-soluble B vitamins ranged between 0.036 to 4.159 mg/100gm. The HPLC analysis also indicated the presence of phenolic acids and polyphenolics in various amounts in this wild edible plant.

Conclusion:

The abundance of protein, fat, carbohydrate, minerals, water soluble vitamins and natural antioxidant components in this plant makes them as a considerable source of nutrition and could be consumed as a regular diet to the human being.

Comparative assessment of nutritional composition, polyphenol profile, antidiabetic and antioxidative properties of selected edible wild plant species of Bangladesh

Wild edible plants are recently recognized as an important source of acquiring macro and micro nutrients beneficial for human health. Hence, the present study was undertaken to assess the antidiabetic and antioxidant potentials, polyphenolic profile, - as well as the ascorbic acid, proximate and mineral compositions of five selected Bangladeshi wild plants. The studied samples were rich in ash, fiber, protein, vitamin C and low in fat. The undertaken plant samples were found to have good amounts of total phenolic, total flavonoid, and antioxidant capacities, documented by DPPH, FRAP, and TEAC assays. They also exhibited varying spectrum of polyphenols estimated by HPLC. Significant inhibition of α-amylase activity by plant extracts was also observed. Evaluation by principal component analysis revealed clear separation among the wild plant varieties. The study findings would enrich the food composition table of Bangladesh and allow the population to consume more wild plants and increase their production.