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The present study describes the antioxidant effect, glucose uptake activity and cytotoxicity of Melicope lunu-ankenda (ML) leaf extract using cell lines. Results of the study revealed that 60% ethanolic ML extract demonstrated the highest antioxidant activity with total phenolics and flavonoid contents of 354 mg GAE/g DW and 313 mg rutin equivalent (RE)/g DW, respectively. Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) was found to be 294.3 mM Fe (II) /g. The study showed that, ML leaf extract stimulated fluorescent d-glucose analog 2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1, 3-diazol-4-yl) amino]-2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-NBDG) uptakes by both 3t3-L1 adipocytes and HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells, showing significant increase in a dose dependent way. Interestingly, cytotoxic activity of the extract conducted against 3t3-L1 adipocytes and HepG2 using the 3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, showed high activity against HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells with IC 50 of 20.33 ± 1.5 μg/mL and 13.7 ± 2.1 μg/mL after exposure of 48 h and 72 h, respectively. However, ML extract was inactive against 3t3-L1 cell line with IC 50 values of 93 ± 3 μg/mL and 81 ± 2 μg/mL. The results ascertained the significance of ML as a medicinal plant with prodigious applications as an anti-diabetic as well as anti-cancer agents.

Several bioactive compounds from microalgae have demonstrated diverse biological activities with positive effects on human health. However, the potential of bioactive peptides as functional foods is still undervalued. Therefore, the exploration of microalgae strains as sources of bioactive peptides could reveal strong and unique bioactivities, especially when these marine sources have never been explored before. For this aim, protein extracts from six indigenous marine diatoms were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis using four proteases (flavourzyme, pepsin, papain and trypsin). The hydrolysates were then tested for angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)‐inhibitory, antioxidant and antihypertensive properties. Results showed that papain hydrolysates from all microalgae strains exhibited strong ACE‐inhibitory activities and antioxidant properties. In particular, protein hydrolysates from Bellerochea malleus were found to reduce blood pressure properties of 17 mmHg after 5 days of oral administration to SHR animals. These results revealed the potential of bioactive peptides from indigenous marine diatoms for use as functional foods or nutraceuticals.

The demand for food bioactive ingredients from natural sources with low cost and broad range of applications is extremely increasing. In this study, five date varieties marketed in Malaysia were evaluated for their potential applications as functional food ingredients. The date fruits were extracted with 80% ethanol, and biological activities including antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-elastase activity were determined by referenced methods. Results of the study showed that the date variety Piyarom demonstrated the highest antioxidant activity (IC50 11.3 µg/ mL), strong antibacterial activity towards tested pathogens that was ranged in 62-76 %, and strong anti-elastase activities (61.2±4.9%). The varieties Ajwa and Anbar showed moderate antioxidant and antibacterial activity, while Deglet Nour and Rabbi exhibited low activities. The results revealed high potential of Piyarom extract to be used as ingredient for functional food applications and fulfilled the high demand for natural functional food ingredients.

Glutens are potential proteins with multifunctional therapeutic effects. Their covalence network structures with and without protease inhibitors are expected to enhance or to serve further properties and further technological points such as increased bioactive surfaces, gelatinization, gelation and pasting properties. The depletion of the allergic peptide sequences of gluten proteins comprising sometimes protease inhibitors are valid via the enzymatic ingestion using proteolytic enzymes that might enhance these functional and technological processes by producing active peptides having osmoregulation and regular glass transitions, surface activity for coating and encapsulation properties. In addition to further therapeutic functions such as immunoregulatory, antithrombin and opioidal activities, particularly in eradicating most of the free radicals, suppressing diabetes Mellitus II complications and inhibiting angiotensin converting enzyme cardiovascular growth diseases.

The use of antioxidant-rich medicinal plants having the potential to reduce oxidative stress and postprandial hyperglycemic pressure is one of the most promising option for the management of diabetes. This study presents information on metabolite profiling and in vitro anti-diabetic effects of leaf extracts of Ficus benjamina. The DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals) assay was performed to determine the in vitro antioxidant potential of the plant extracts. The anti-diabetic effects were investigated by evaluating inhibitory properties of F. benjamina leaf extracts towards carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes, i.e., α-glucosidase and α-amylase, whereas 1H NMR and UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analytical methods were employed for metabolite profiling of F. benjamina leaf extracts. Among 40, 60, 80, and 100% ethanolic leaf extracts of F. benjamina, 80% ethanolic extract exhibited the highest antioxidant activity based upon its DPPH radical scavenging ability (IC50 value: 63.71 ± 2.66 µg/mL). The 80% ethanolic leaf extract of F. benjamina also proved to be the most efficient α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitor with IC50 values of 9.65 ± 1.04 µg/mL and 13.08 ± 1.06 µg/mL, respectively; these values were even better than acarbose with α-glucosidase inhibition activity (IC50 = 116.01 ± 3.83 µg/mL) and α-amylase inhibition activity (IC50 = 152.66 ± 7.32 µg/mL). Moreover, a total of 31 metabolites were identified in F. benjamina leaf extract, which may have the potential to contribute to its antioxidant and inhibitory properties against carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes. The findings of this study depict F. benjamina leaf extracts as a promising α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitor, and therefore, can be utilized for the development of anti-diabetic functional diets/nutra-pharmaceuticals.

Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by continuous hyperglycemia associated with insulin resistance and /or reduced insulin secretion. There is an emerging trend regarding the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Melicope lunu-ankenda (ML) is one of the Melicope species belonging to the family Rutaceae. In traditional medicines, its leaves and flowers are known to exhibit prodigious health benefits. The present study aimed at investigating anti-diabetic effect of Melicope lunu-ankenda (ML) leaves extract. Methods In this study, anti-diabetic effect of ML extract is investigated in vivo to evaluate the biochemical changes, potential serum biomarkers and alterations in metabolic pathways pertaining to the treatment of HFD/STZ induced diabetic rats with ML extract using 1H NMR based metabolomics approach. Type 2 diabetic rats were treated with different doses (200 and 400 mg/kg BW) of Melicope lunu-ankenda leaf extract for 8 weeks, and serum samples were examined for clinical biochemistry. The metabolomics study of serum was also carried out using 1H NMR spectroscopy in combination with multivariate data analysis to explore differentiating serum metabolites and altered metabolic pathways. Results The ML leaf extract (400 mg/kg BW) treatment significantly increased insulin level and insulin sensitivity of obese diabetic rats, with concomitant decrease in glucose level and insulin resistance. Significant reduction in total triglyceride, cholesterol and low density lipoprotein was also observed after treatment. Interestingly, there was a significant increase in high density lipoprotein of the treated rats. A decrease in renal injury markers and activities of liver enzymes was also observed. Moreover, metabolomics studies clearly demonstrated that, ML extract significantly ameliorated the disturbance in glucose metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle, lipid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism. Conclusion ML leaf extract exhibits potent antidiabetic properties, hence could be a useful and affordable alternative option for the management of T2DM.

Herbs that are usually recognized as medicinal plants are well known for their therapeutic effects and are traditionally used to treat numerous diseases, including aging. This study aimed to evaluate the metabolite variations among six selected herbs namely Curcurma longa, Oenanthe javanica, Vitex negundo, Pluchea indica, Cosmos caudatus and Persicaria minus using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) coupled with multivariate data analysis (MVDA). The free radical scavenging activity of the extract was measured by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azinobis(3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. The anti-aging property was characterized by anti-elastase and anti-collagenase inhibitory activities. The results revealed that P. minus showed the highest radical scavenging activities and anti-aging properties. The partial least squares (PLS) biplot indicated the presence of potent metabolites in P. minus such as quercetin, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside (quercitrin), myricetin derivatives, catechin, isorhamnetin, astragalin and apigenin. It can be concluded that P. minus can be considered as a potential source for an anti-aging ingredient and also a good free radical eradicator. Therefore, P. minus could be used in future development in anti-aging researches and medicinal ingredient preparations.

Introduction Natural products are obtaining much acceptance as ergogenic aid, not only among athletes but also among the general population including people with excess body fat. Under normal circumstances, an obese person will have the desire and ability to exercise reduced; mainly because they are easily fatigued. Thus, they need to boost their energy production so that they can be more active and healthier. Objective In this present work, Morinda citrifolia L. leaf extract (MLE) which is believed to possess ergogenic property, was evaluated on its effect on an obese animal model using 1 H-NMR based metabolomics. Material and methods Rats were fed with high fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks for obese development. Once this was achieved, all the rats underwent endurance exercise (forced swimming test) every 2 weeks for 8 weeks together with treatment. The time to exhaustion was recorded for each rat. Three different dosages of MLE: 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg of body weight were used together with two positive controls: 5 mg/kg caffeine and 100 mg/kg green tea. Blood was collected before and after treatments for metabolomics study. Results Findings showed that feeding the rats at a dose of 200 mg/kg body weight MLE significantly prolonged the exhaustive swimming time of the rats, and altered the metabolites present in their serum. Discriminating metabolites involved were the product of various metabolic pathways, including carbohydrate, lipids metabolism and energy metabolism. Treatment with 200 mg/kg body weight MLE resulted in significant improvement in the metabolic perturbations where the proximity of the obese exercised treated group to that of normal exercised group in the partial least squares discriminant analysis score plot was observed. Conclusion The present work demonstrated ergogenic property of MLE based on the improved metabolic perturbation in exercised obese rats.

This study aimed to evaluate the potential for developing probiotic beverage using jackfruit juice via lacto-fermentation with Lactobacillus casei ATCC334. The viable cells count was significantly (p

In recent years, medicinal plants have gained much attention as potential source of bioactives for the development of novel herbal drugs for primary healthcare. However, phytotherapeutic mechanisms of action of phytomedicines need to be explored comprehensively. Out of the available strategies for the said purpose, metabolomics is one, which results in the production of inclusive metabolite profiles providing a clear understanding of diagnostic changes in the levels of metabolites, leading to therapeutic monitoring of drug targets through the elucidation of metabolomic pathways. On the other hand, proteomics is also a powerful strategy to deal with systematic protein expression analysis and analyze different biomarkers compared to metabolomics during drug treatment. Currently, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass spectrometry (MS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography equipped with mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography coupled with MS and ultra-performance liq...

The main objective of this study was to improve the antioxidant properties of parboiled wheat noodles (salted and yellow alkaline noodles) by adding different concentrations of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) into the noodle formulations (0, 0.75, and 1.50%) in order to produce the acceptable new product. The total phenolic contents and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity varied from 4.07 to 8.61 mg GAE/g and from 23.20 to 95.16%, respectively. The white salted noodle fortified with 1.50% PPE had the highest antioxidant activity among all prepared noodles. The fortified noodles showed significant (p ≤ 0.05) differences in terms of color and textural properties as compared to the control noodle. The fortified white salted noodles had a light brown color with a soft texture, whereas the fortified yellow alkaline noodles were substantially darker and harder than the white salted noodles. The fortified white noodles had a shorter optimum cooking time than the yellow noodles. The addition of PPE to the formulation of both noodles led to a reduction of pH. The current study revealed that the fortified noodles had more homogeneous and compact microstructure than the control noodle. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the overall acceptability of both fortified noodles.

Diabetes mellitus is normally characterized by chronic hyperglycemia associated with disturbances in the fat, carbohydrate, and protein metabolism. There is an increasing trend of using natural products instead of synthetic agents as alternative therapy for disorders due to their fewer side effects. In this study, antidiabetic and antioxidant activities of different Melicope lunu-ankenda (ML) ethanolic extracts were evaluated using inhibition of α-glucosidase and 2,2-diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals scavenging activity, respectively; whereas, proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1) H NMR) and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (UHPLC-MS/MS) techniques were used for metabolite profiling of ML leaf extracts at different concentrations of ethanol and water. Sixty percent of ethanolic ML extract showed highest inhibitory effect against α-glucosidase enzyme (IC50 of 37 μg/mL) and DPPH scavenging activity (IC50 of 48 μg/mL). Antidiabetic effect of ML extracts was also evaluated in vivo and it was found that the high doses (400 mg/Kg BW) of ML extract exhibited high suppression in fasting blood glucose level by 62.75%. The metabolites responsible for variation among ML samples with variable ethanolic levels have been evaluated successfully using (1) H-NMR-based metabolomics. The principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares(PLS) analysis scores depicted clear and distinct separations into 4 clusters representing the 4 ethanolic concentrations by PC1 and PC2, with an eigenvalue of 69.9%. Various (1) H-NMR chemical shifts related to the metabolites responsible for sample difference were also ascribed. The main bioactive compounds identified attributing toward the separation included: isorhamnetin, skimmianine, scopoletin, and melicarpinone. Hence, ML may be used as promising medicinal plant for the development of new functional foods, new generation antidiabetic drugs, as a single entity phytomedicine or in combinational therapy.

Background Cosmos caudatus is an annual plant known for its medicinal value in treating several health conditions, such as high blood pressure, arthritis, and diabetes mellitus. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and total phenolic content of the leaf aqueous ethanolic extracts of the plant at different growth stages (6, 8. 10, 12 and 14 weeks) were determined in an effort to ascertain the best time to harvest the plant for maximum medicinal quality with respect to its glucose-lowering effects. Methods The aqueous ethanolic leaf extracts of C. caudatus were characterized by NMR and LC-MS/MS. The total phenolic content and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity were evaluated by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and α-glucosidase inhibitory assay, respectively. The statistical significance of the results was evaluated using one-way ANOVA with Duncan’s post hoc test, and correlation among the different activities was performed by Pearson’s correlation test. NMR spectroscopy along with multivariate data analysis was used to identify the metabolites correlated with total phenolic content and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of the C. caudatus leaf extracts. Results It was found that the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and total phenolic content of the optimized ethanol:water (80:20) leaf extract of the plant increased significantly as the plant matured, reaching a maximum at the 10th week. The IC50 value for α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (39.18 μg mL− 1) at the 10th week showed greater potency than the positive standard, quercetin (110.50 μg mL− 1). Through an 1H NMR-based metabolomics approach, the 10-week-old samples were shown to be correlated with a high total phenolic content and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. From the partial least squares biplot, rutin and flavonoid glycosides, consisting of quercetin 3-O-arabinofuranoside, quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, and quercetin 3-O-xyloside, were identified as the major bioactive metabolites. The metabolites were identified by NMR spectroscopy (J-resolve, HSQC and HMBC experiments) and further supported by dereplication via LC-MS/MS. Conclusion For high phytomedicinal quality, the 10th week is recommended as the best time to harvest C. caudatus leaves with respect to its glucose lowering potential. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12906-019-2655-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Stichopus horrens is the most popular species of sea cucumber due to strong beliefs of its numerous medicinal properties. In this study, ACE-inhibitory peptides of S. horrens generated through enzymatic hydrolysis using Alcalase were isolated. Three peptides EVSQGRP, CRQNTLGHNTQTSIAQ and VSRHFASYAN were found to exhibit high inhibition potency with IC50 values of 0.05, 0.08 and 0.21 mM, respectively. It was found that the EVSQGRP, VSRHFASYAN and SAAVGSP exhibiting mixed inhibition patterns were susceptible to degradation by ACE as well, suggesting that the mixed-mode inhibition could be a result of new generated peptide fragments while CRQNTLGHNTQTSIAQ inhibited ACE in a non-competitive manner. In-vivo ACE inhibition studies showed that 400 mg/kg of Alcalase-generated proteolysate stabilized the blood pressure in normotensive rats. These results suggest that the hydrolysed protein components of S. horrens possess bioactive peptides that can be exploited as functional food ingredients against hypertension.

In recent years, food protein-derived hydrolysates have received considerable attention because of their numerous health benefits. Amongst the hydrolysates, those with anti-hypertensive and anti-oxidative activities are receiving special attention as both activities can play significant roles in preventing cardiovascular diseases. The present study investigated the angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory and anti-oxidative activities of Actinopyga lecanora (A. lecanora) hydrolysates, which had been prepared by alcalase, papain, bromelain, flavourzyme, pepsin, and trypsin under their optimum conditions. The alcalase hydrolysate showed the highest ACE inhibitory activity (69.8%) after 8 h of hydrolysis while the highest anti-oxidative activities measured by 2,2-diphenyl 1-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging (DPPH) (56.00%) and ferrous ion-chelating (FIC) (59.00%) methods were exhibited after 24 h and 8 h of hydrolysis, respectively. The ACE-inhibitory and anti-oxidative activities displayed dose-dependent trends, and increased with increasing protein hydrolysate concentrations. Moreover, strong positive correlations between angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory and anti-oxidative activities were also observed. This study indicates that A. lecanora hydrolysate can be exploited as a source of functional food owing to its anti-oxidant as well as anti-hypertension functions.

Genetic diversity and relationships among 45 collected purslane accessions were evaluated using ISSR markers. The 28 primers gave a total of 167 bands, among which 163 were polymorphic (97.6%). The genetic diversity as estimated by Shannon's information index was 0.513, revealing a quite high level of genetic diversity in the germplasm. The average number of observed allele, effective allele, expected heterozygosity, polymorphic information content (PIC) and Nei's index were 5.96, 1.59, 0.43, 0.35 and 0.35, respectively. The UPGMA dendrogram based on Nei's genetic distance grouped the whole germplasm into 7 distinct clusters. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that 89% of total variation occurred within population, while 11% were found among populations. Based on the constructed dendrogram using ISSR markers those accessions that are far from each other by virtue of genetic origin and diversity index (like Ac1 and Ac42; Ac19 and Ac45; Ac9 and Ac23; Ac18 and A25; Ac24 and Ac18) are strongly recommended to select as parent for future breeding program to develop high yielding and stress tolerant purslane variety in contribution to global food security.

Objectives. Optimizing glycemic control is crucial to prevent type 2 diabetes related complications.Cosmos caudatusis reported to have promising effect in improving plasma blood glucose in an animal model. However, its impact on human remains ambiguous. This study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness ofC. caudatuson glycemic status in patients with type 2 diabetes.Materials and Methods. In this randomized controlled trial with two-arm parallel-group design, a total of 101 subjects with type 2 diabetes were randomly allocated to diabetic-ulam or diabetic controls for eight weeks. Subjects in diabetic-ulam group consumed 15 g ofC. caudatusdaily for eight weeks while diabetic controls abstained from takingC. caudatus.Both groups received the standard lifestyle advice.Results. After 8 weeks of supplementation,C. caudatussignificantly reduced serum insulin (−1.16 versus +3.91), reduced HOMA-IR (−1.09 versus +1.34), and increased QUICKI (+0.05 versus −0.03) in diabetic-ulam group compared with the diabetic controls. HbA1C level was improved although it is not statistically significant (−0.76% versus −0.37%).C. caudatuswas safe to consume.Conclusions.C. caudatussupplementation significantly improves insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Background: Morinda citrifolia L. is widely used as a folk medicinal food plant to manage a panoply of diseases, though no concrete reports on its potential anti-obesity activity. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of M. citrifolia leaf extracts (MLE60) in the prevention of weight gain in vivo and establish its phytochemical profile. Design: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into groups based on a normal diet (ND) or high fat diet (HFD), with or without MLE60 supplementation (150 and 350 mg/kg body weight) and assessed for any reduction in weight gain. Plasma leptin, insulin, adiponectin, and ghrelin of all groups were determined. 1H NMR and LCMS methods were employed for phytochemical profiling of MLE60. Results: The supplementation of MLE60 did not affect food intake indicating that appetite suppression might not be the main anti-obesity mechanism involved. In the treated groups, MLE60 prevented weight gain, most likely through an inhibition of pancreatic and lipoprotein activity with a positive influence on the lipid profiles and a reduction in LDL levels . MLE60 also attenuated visceral fat deposition in treated subjects with improvement in the plasma levels of obesity-linked factors . 1Spectral analysis showed the presence of several bioactive compounds with rutin being more predominant. Conclusion: MLE60 shows promise as an anti-obesity agents and warrants further research.

Background Obesity is a major health concern both in developed and developing countries. The use of herbal medicines became the subject of interest for the management of obesity due to its natural origin, cost effectiveness and minimal side effects. The present study aimed at investigating anti-obesity potential of ethanolic extract from Cosmos caudatus Kunth leaf (EECCL). Methods In this study, the rats were randomly divided into six groups i.e., (1) Normal Diet (ND); (2) Normal Diet and 175 mg/kgBW of EECCL (ND + 175 mg/kgBW); (3) Normal Diet and 350 mg/kgBW of EECCL (ND + 350 mg/kgBW); (4) High Fat Diet (HFD); (5) High Fat Diet and 175 mg/kgBW of EECCL (HFD + 175 mg/kgBW); (6) High Fat Diet and 350 mg/kgBW of EECCL (HFD + 350 mg/kgBW). The anti-obesity potential was evaluated through analyses of changes in body weight, visceral fat weight, and blood biochemicals including total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), leptin, insulin, adiponectin, ghrelin and fecal fat content. In addition, metabolite profiling of EECCL was carried out using NMR spectroscopy. Results Rats receiving EECCL together with HFD showed significant (p 0.05) different with those of ND rats. Other related obesity biomarkers including plasma lipid profiles, insulin, leptin, ghrelin and adiponectin levels also showed significant improvement (p

Express sequence tag (EST)-simple sequence repeat (SSR) was employed to assess the genetic diversity in elite germplasm collections of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) which is a saline and drought tolerant annual herb containing high amount of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant properties. The 10 primers gave a total of ninety five bands among which 95 were polymorphic (100 %). The genetic diversity as estimated by Shannon’s information index was 1.85, revealing a high level of genetic diversity in the germplasm. The average numbers of observed allele, effective allele, expected heterozygosity, polymorphic information content (PIC), and Nei’s information index were 9.5, 5.14, 0.81, 0.33, 0.77, and 0.79, respectively. The UPGMA dendrogram based on Nei’s genetic distance grouped the whole germplasm into eight distinct clusters. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that 71.87 % of total variation occurred within population while 28.13 % from among populations. Considering all these criteria and results from marker-assisted diversity analysis, accessions that are far apart based on their genetic coefficient (like Ac11 and Ac17; Ac4 and Ac42; Ac16 and Ac31; Ac38 and Ac17; Ac21 and Ac31; Ac30 and Ac10) could be selected as parents for further breeding programs.

Cosmos caudatus, which is known as “Ulam Raja,” is an herbal plant used in Malaysia to enhance vitality. This study focused on the evaluation of the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of different ethanolic extracts of C. caudatus. Six series of samples extracted with water, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% ethanol (EtOH) were employed. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and orthogonal partial least-squares (OPLS) analysis was used to correlate bioactivity of different extracts to different metabolite profiles of C. caudatus. The obtained OPLS scores indicated a distinct and remarkable separation into 6 clusters, which were indicative of the 6 different ethanol concentrations. GC-MS can be integrated with multivariate data analysis to identify compounds that inhibit α-glucosidase activity. In addition, catechin, α-linolenic acid, α-D-glucopyranoside, and vitamin E compounds were identified and indicate the potential α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of this herb.

The variations in bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of carambola (cv. B17) fruit at different ripening stages were investigated. The carambola fruit was harvested from week 9 until week 13. Ascorbic acid (AA), total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC), total carotenoids content (TCC), β-carotene, tocopherol homologues (α, β, γ and δ) and sugar composition (sucrose, glucose and fructose) were analyzed for each sampling week. Antioxidant activity was measured with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil(DPPH) and β-carotene/linoleic acid model(BCLAM) assays. The results showed that AA, TCC and sugar composition were significantly ( P P

The effects of a bambangan juice powder (BJP) drink on plasma vitamin and antioxidant enzyme levels and liver and kidney function were investigated. Thirty-two healthy subjects (12 male and 20 female) ages 24–28 years were recruited from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia. Compared with consuming the placebo, consumption of the BJP drink daily for 9 weeks significantly increased the concentration of plasma β-carotene and ascorbic acid. Plasma total antioxidant status was increased, but liver and kidney functions were unaffected after consumption of the BJP drink. The consumption of a BJP drink resulted in a significant improvement in certain cardiovascular biochemical parameters and thus reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Winged bean [Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.] seed is a potential underexploited source of vegetable protein due to its high protein content. In the present work, undefatted and defatted winged bean seed hydrolysates, designated as UWBSH and DWBSH, respectively were produced separately by four proteolytic enzymes namely Flavourzyme, Alcalase, Bromelain, and Papain using pH-stat method in a batch reactor. Enzymatic hydrolysis was carried out over a period of 0.5 to 5 h. UWBSH and DWBSH produced were tested for their ACE inhibitory activity in relation to the hydrolysis time and degree of hydrolysis (DH). Maximum ACE inhibitory activity, both for UWBSH and DWBSH, were observed during 3 to 5 h of hydrolysis. Both, UWBSH (DH 91.84 %), and DWSBH (DH 18.72 %), produced by Papain at 5 h hydrolysis, exhibited exceptionally high ACE inhibitory activity with IC50 value 0.064 and 0.249 mg mL−1, respectively. Besides, papain-produced UWBSH and DWBSH were further fractionated into three fractions based on molecular weight (UWBSH-I

The stone fish (Actinopyga lecanora) ethanolic and methanolic tissue extracts were investigated for total phenolic contents (TPCs) as well as antioxidant activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Both extracts showed low amount of phenolics (20.33 to 17.03 mg of gallic acid equivalents/100 g dried sample) and moderate antioxidant activity (39% to 34% DPPH•radical scavenging activity and 23.95 to 22.30 mmol/100 mL FeSO4FRAP value). Enzymatic proteolysis was carried out in order to improve the antioxidant activity using six commercially available proteases under their optimum conditions. The results revealed that the highest increase in antioxidant activity up to 85% was obtained for papain-generated proteolysate, followed by alcalase (77%), trypsin (75%), pepsin (68%), bromelain (68%), and flavourzyme (50%) as measured by DPPH•radical scavenging activity, whilst for the FRAP value, the highest increase in the antioxidant activity up to 39.2 mmol/100 mL FeSO4was obtained for alcalase-generated proteolysate, followed by papain (29.5 mmol/100 mL FeSO4), trypsin (23.2 mmol/100 mL FeSO4), flavourzyme (24.7 mmol/100 mL FeSO4), bromelain (22.9 mmol/100 mL FeSO4), and pepsin (20.8 mmol/100 mL FeSO4). It is obvious that proteolysis of stone fish tissue by proteolytic enzymes can considerably enhance its antioxidant activity.

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of varied salinity regimes on the morphological traits (plant height, number of leaves, number of flowers, fresh and dry weight) and major mineral composition of 13 selected purslane accessions. Most of the morphological traits measured were reduced at varied salinity levels (0.0, 8, 16, 24 and 32 dS m−1), but plant height was found to increase in Ac1 at 16 dS m−1 salinity, and Ac13 was the most affected accession. The highest reductions in the number of leaves and number of flowers were recorded in Ac13 at 32 dS m−1 salinity compared to the control. The highest fresh and dry weight reductions were noted in Ac8 and Ac6, respectively, at 32 dS m−1 salinity, whereas the highest increase in both fresh and dry weight was recorded in Ac9 at 24 dS m−1 salinity compared to the control. In contrast, at lower salinity levels, all of the measured mineral levels were found to increase and later decrease with increasing salinity, but the performance of different accessions was different depending on the salinity level. A dendrogram was also constructed by UPGMA based on the morphological traits and mineral compositions, in which the 13 accessions were grouped into 5 clusters, indicating greater diversity among them. A three-dimensional principal component analysis also confirmed the output of grouping from cluster analysis.

Food protein hydrolysates are known to exhibit angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory properties and can be used as a novel functional food for prevention of hypertension. This study evaluated the ACE inhibitory potentials of Actinopyga lecanora proteolysate (ALP) in vivo. The pre-fed rats with ALP at various doses (200, 400, 800 mg/kg body weight) exhibited a significant (p ≤ 0.05) suppression effect after inducing hypertension. To determine the optimum effective dose that will produce maximal reduction in blood pressure, ALP at three doses was fed to the rats after inducing hypertension. The results showed that the 800 mg/kg body weight dose significantly reduced blood pressure without noticeable negative physiological effect. In addition, there were no observable changes in the rats’ heart rate after oral administration of the ALP. It was concluded that Actinopyga lecanora proteolysate could potentially be used for the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals for prevention and treatment of hypertension.

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), a herbal plant, belonging to the family Apiceae, is valued for its culinary and medicinal uses. All parts of this herb are in use as flavoring agent and/or as traditional remedies for the treatment of different disorders in the folk medicine systems of different civilizations. The plant is a potential source of lipids (rich in petroselinic acid) and an essential oil (high in linalool) isolated from the seeds and the aerial parts. Due to the presence of a multitude of bioactives, a wide array of pharmacological activities have been ascribed to different parts of this herb, which include anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anxiolytic, anti-epileptic, anti-depressant, anti-mutagenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-dyslipidemic, anti-hypertensive, neuro-protective and diuretic. Interestingly, coriander also possessed lead-detoxifying potential. This review focuses on the medicinal uses, detailed phytochemistry, and the biological activities of this valuable herb to explore its potential uses as a functional food for the nutraceutical industry.

Actinopyga lecanora, a type of sea cucumber commonly known as stone fish with relatively high protein content, was explored as raw material for bioactive peptides production. Six proteolytic enzymes, namely alcalase, papain, pepsin, trypsin, bromelain and flavourzyme were used to hydrolyze A. lecanora at different times and their respective degrees of hydrolysis (DH) were calculated. Subsequently, antibacterial activity of the A. lecanora hydrolysates, against some common pathogenic Gram positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Pseudomonas sp.) were evaluated. Papain hydrolysis showed the highest DH value (89.44%), followed by alcalase hydrolysis (83.35%). Bromelain hydrolysate after one and seven hours of hydrolysis exhibited the highest antibacterial activities against Pseudomonas sp., P. aeruginosa and E. coli at 51.85%, 30.07% and 30.45%, respectively compared to the other hydrolysates. Protein hydrolysate generated by papain after 8 h hydrolysis showed maximum antibacterial activity against S. aureus at 20.19%. The potent hydrolysates were further fractionated using RP-HPLC and antibacterial activity of the collected fractions from each hydrolysate were evaluated, wherein among them only three fractions from the bromelain hydrolysates exhibited inhibitory activities against Pseudomonas sp., P. aeruginosa and E. coli at 24%, 25.5% and 27.1%, respectively and one fraction of papain hydrolysate showed antibacterial activity of 33.1% against S. aureus. The evaluation of the relationship between DH and antibacterial activities of papain and bromelain hydrolysates revealed a meaningful correlation of four and six order functions.

The anti-pancreatic lipase and antioxidant activity of Momordica charantia, Morinda citrifolia fruit, and Centella asiatica extract were evaluated for potential use as an anti-obesity agent. Antioxidant activity of the extracts was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhdrazyl and ferric-reducing antioxidant power assays. Inhibition of pancreatic lipase was measured in vitro. Results from this study showed that Momordica charantia, Morinda citrifolia fruit, and Centella asiatica extract exhibited different levels of antioxidant activity, with IC50 ranging from 0.90 ± 0.1 to 3.7 ± 0.8 mg/mL of extracts. All extracts were found to inhibit pancreatic lipase activity, with Momordica charantia, Morinda citrifolia fruit, and Centella asiatica extract demonstrating 21.0 ± 1.3, 25.8 ± 0.1, and 25.3 ± 0.4% inhibition, respectively.

Obesity and obesity-related complications are on the increase both in the developed and developing world. Since existing pharmaceuticals fail to come up with long-term solutions to address this issue, there is an ever-pressing need to find and develop new drugs and alternatives. Natural products, particularly medicinal plants, are believed to harbor potential antiobesity agents that can act through various mechanisms either by preventing weight gain or promoting weight loss amongst others. The inhibition of key lipid and carbohydrate hydrolyzing and metabolizing enzymes, disruption of adipogenesis, and modulation of its factors or appetite suppression are some of the plethora of targeted approaches to probe the antiobesity potential of medicinal plants. A new technology such as metabolomics, which deals with the study of the whole metabolome, has been identified to be a promising technique to probe the progression of diseases, elucidate their pathologies, and assess the effects of natural health products on certain pathological conditions. This has been applied to drug research, bone health, and to a limited extent to obesity research. This paper thus endeavors to give an overview of those plants, which have been reported to have antiobesity effects and highlight the potential and relevance of metabolomics in obesity research.

Kundur [Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn.], a member of the family Cucurbitaceae, is one of the famous crops that are grown primarily for its fruits and usually recognized with its nutritional and medicinal properties especially in Asian countries. Kundur fruit has been valued as a nutritious vegetable as it provides a good source for natural sugars, amino acids, organic acids, mineral elements and vitamins. A number of medicinal properties such as anti-diarrheal, anti-obesity, anti-ulcer, and antioxidant and diuretic have been ascribed to this fruit of high economic value. As a rich source of functionally important bioactives and therapeutics such as triterpenes, phenolics, sterols, and glycosides, the fruit has been widely used for the treatment of epilepsy, ulcer, and other nervous disorders in the native medicine system of Asia. This review focuses on the cultivation, nutritional and chemical composition, as well as medicinal and therapeutic properties of this multipurpose fruit, as one of the potential sources of bioactives for functional food and nutraceutical applications.

Different biological methods are gaining recognition for the production of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) due to their multiple applications. One of the most important applications of Ag-NPs is their use as an anti-bacterial agent. The use of plants in the synthesis of nanoparticles emerges as a cost effective and eco-friendly approach. In this study the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using Vitex negundo L. extract and its antimicrobial properties has been reported. The resulting silver particles are characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV–Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopic techniques. The TEM study showed the formation of silver nanoparticles in the 10–30 nm range and average 18.2 nm in size. The XRD study showed that the particles are crystalline in nature, with a face centered cubic (fcc) structure. The silver nanoparticles showed the antimicrobial activity against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. Vitex negundo L. was found to display strong potential for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents by rapid reduction of silver ions (Ag+ to Ag0).

The effects of freeze-drying on antioxidant compounds and antioxidant activity of five tropical fruits, namely starfruit (Averrhoa carambola L.), mango (Mangifera indica L.), papaya (Carica papaya L.), muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.), and watermelon Citruluss lanatus (Thunb.) were investigated. Significant (p < 0.05) differences, for the amounts of total phenolic compounds (TPC), were found between the fresh and freeze-dried fruit samples, except muskmelon. There was no significant (p > 0.05) change, however, observed in the ascorbic acid content of the fresh and freeze-dried fruits. Similarly, freeze-drying did not exert any considerable effect on β-carotene concentration of fruits, except for mango and watermelon, where significantly (p < 0.05) higher levels were detected in the fresh samples. The results of DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging and reducing power assays revealed that fresh samples of starfruit and mango had relatively higher antioxidant activity. In case of linoleic acid peroxidation inhibition measurement, a significant (p < 0.05) but random variation was recorded between the fresh and freeze-dried fruits. Overall, in comparison to β-carotene and ascorbic acid, a good correlation was established between the result of TPC and antioxidant assays, indicating that phenolics might have been the dominant compounds contributing towards the antioxidant activity of the fruits tested.

Thermal inactivation kinetics for the purified membrane-bound polyphenol oxidases (mPPOs) and peroxidases (mPODs) isolated from Metroxylon sagu were analyzed. Each isoenzyme was treated at different time-temperature combinations in the range of 0-70min and 20-70C. Thermal inactivation rates constant (k) at 70C for mPOD-I (72.9×10 -3/min) and mPOD-II (97.9×10 -3/min) were lower than that of mPPO-I (379.7×10 -3/min) and mPPO-II (138.1×10 -3/min). The activation energy for inactivation of mPPO-I (32.94kcal/mol) and mPPO-II (40.34kcal/mol) was lower compared with mPOD-I (45.77kcal/mol) and mPOD-II (40.62kcal/mol). The enthalpy values for mPOD-I (45.08kcal/mol) and mPOD-II (39.94kcal/mol) were higher than those of mPPOs (mPPO-I, 32.26kcal/mol; mPPO-II, 39.66kcal/mol). This result implies that both mPOD-I and mPOD-II are more thermostable.

The composition of bambangan peel dietary fibre (DF) and several properties related to its nutritional quality were investigated. The physicochemical properties and antioxidant capacity for the fibre-rich powder (FRP) were investigated , and the chemical composition for soluble dietary fibre (SDF) and insoluble dietary fibre (IDF) were also studied. The FRP had a high amount of total dietary fibre (TDF; 72.3 g/100 g FRP) with a balanced SDF/IDF ratio (46.3/53.7%). The FRP had a high glucose retardation index, water-holding capacity (WHC), oil-holding capacity (OHC), and swelling. The antioxidant capacity of the FRP, as determined by the DPPH assay using an Elisa reader, exhibited a strong potency due to the presence of associated total polyphenols (98.3 mg/g FRP). These FRP characteristics indicated that bambangan peels are a rich source of DF, antioxidants, and other bioactive compounds that can be incorporated with food products to improve the nutraceutical properties of these products.

The effect of Morinda citrifolia fruit (MCFE), Momordica charantia (MCE) and Centella asiatica (CAE) extracts on lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity, proliferation and differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes was investigated. The inhibitory effect of the extracts on LPL activity was determined in vitro. The extent of cell proliferation was determined utilizing 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and the degree of differentiation was measured by Oil Red O staining assay. Extracts were analyzed for total phenolic compounds and flavonoids utilizing Folin-Ciocalteu assay and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. Results showed that, at 1mg/mL, MCFE demonstrated the highest inhibitory effect (21.4±2.3%), compared to the other extracts tested. On the other hand, MCE demonstrated the highest inhibitory effect on both proliferation and differentiation of preadipocytes (LC 50of 1.6mg/L). LC 50 refers to the concentration of extracts (mg/mL) to cause a 50% reduction in viable cells. Results also revealed that all extracts consisted of high concentration of phenolic compounds, with catechin and epicatechin predominantly present in all three extracts, that maybe responsible for the activities measured.

Background: Brown rice is unpolished rice with immeasurable benefits for human health. Brown rice (BR) and pre-germinated brown rice (PGBR) are known to contain various functional compounds such as gamma-oryzanol, dietary fibre and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In the present study, the experimental diets containing BR and PGBR (24, 48 h pre-germination) were used to investigate the influence of pre-germination time of brown rice on blood cholesterol in Sprague-Dawley male rats. Result: Hypercholesterolaemia and elevation of LDL-cholesterol were successfully ameliorated by the experimental diets containing BR and PGBR (24 and 48 h pre-germination). As compared to the control sample, the pre-germination time had a significant (P < 0.05) effect on blood cholesterol of Sprague-Dawley male rats. It was also found that the significantly (P < 0.05) better effect on lipid profile of hypercholesterolaemic rats was observed by prolonging the pre-germination time. As compared to non-germinated brown rice, the germinated brown rice showed the higher cardio-protective effect on hypercholesterolaemic Sprague-Dawley male rats. Conclusion: The present study suggests that the changes of blood cholesterol can be mainly modulated by using the PGBR rather than BR. The prolonging of pre-germination time led to an increase in the bioactive components, thereby providing a more efficient functional diet affecting the high blood cholesterol. This study suggests that PGBR can be used instead of BR and polished rice in the human diet.

Efficacy of Morinda citrifolia L. leaf (MLE) and fruit extracts (MFE) in inhibiting lipoprotein lipase (LPL) was determined in vitro. The result of the study showed that the highest inhibition on the LPL activity was exhibited by MLE (66%+/- 2.1%), which is significantly higher than that demonstrated by MFE (54.5%+/- 2.5%), green tea extract (GTE) (54.5%+/- 2.6%), and catechin (43.6%+/- 6.1%). Percent of LPL inhibition increase with concentration of the extracts. Quantitative analysis of the extracts revealed the presence of high levels of (+)-catechin at 63.5 +/- 17 and 53.7 +/- 5.7 mg/g in MLE and MFE, respectively, although not as high as that found in GTE (530.6 +/- 42 mg/g). Appreciable amount of epicatechin was found in all extracts tested, while rutin was only found in MLE and MFE. The study suggested that both leaf and fruit of M. citrifolia may be used as antiobesity agents in body weight management.

The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide, with high fat diet (HFD) as one of the main contributing factors. Obesity increases the predisposition to other diseases such as diabetes through various metabolic pathways. Limited availability of antiobesity drugs and the popularity of complementary medicine have encouraged research in finding phytochemical strategies to this multifaceted disease. HFD induced obese Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with an extract ofMorinda citrifoliaL. leaves (MLE 60). After 9 weeks of treatment, positive effects were observed on adiposity, fecal fat content, plasma lipids, and insulin and leptin levels. The inducement of obesity and treatment with MLE 60 on metabolic alterations were then further elucidated using a1H NMR based metabolomics approach. Discriminating metabolites involved were products of various metabolic pathways, including glucose metabolism and TCA cycle (lactate, 2-oxoglutarate, citrate, succinate, pyruvate, and acetate), amino acid metabolism (alanine, 2-hydroxybutyrate), choline metabolism (betaine), creatinine metabolism (creatinine), and gut microbiome metabolism (hippurate, phenylacetylglycine, dimethylamine, and trigonelline). Treatment with MLE 60 resulted in significant improvement in the metabolic perturbations caused obesity as demonstrated by the proximity of the treated group to the normal group in the OPLS-DA score plot and the change in trajectory movement of the diseased group towards the healthy group upon treatment.

The effect of Centella asiatica extract and powder in reducing oxidative stress in SpraqueDawley rats was evaluated. Lipid peroxidation was monitored by measuring malonaldehyde (MDA) level in blood. Activities of free radical-scavenging enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) were determined using H 2 O 2 decomposition and nitrobluetetrazolium reduction, respectively. Results showed that administration of H 2 O 2 (0.1%) in drinking water of the rats, for 25 weeks, increased the malonaldehyde levels in erythrocytes of all the rats. However, rats receiving C. asiatica extract, powder and α-tocopherol had lower MDA levels than did the other rats, which indicates, decrease lipid peroxidation in these rats. Increase in catalase activity of the rats appears to be a response to H 2 O 2 accumulation. The decrease in the activity of superoxide dismutase in C. asiatica - and α-tocopherol supplemented rats suggested a lower requirement for the enzyme and this indicates the protective effect of the plant in combating oxidative stress undergone by the rats. Results revealed that C. asiatica extract and powder may ameliorate H 2 O 2 -induced oxidative stress by decreasing lipid peroxidation via alteration of the antioxidant defence system of the rats.

13 selected purslane accessions were subjected to five salinity levels 0, 8, 16, 24, and 32 dS m−1. Salinity effect was evaluated on the basis of biomass yield reduction, physiological attributes, and stem-root anatomical changes. Aggravated salinity stress caused significant (P<0.05) reduction in all measured parameters and the highest salinity showed more detrimental effect compared to control as well as lower salinity levels. The fresh and dry matter production was found to increase in Ac1, Ac9, and Ac13 from lower to higher salinity levels but others were badly affected. Considering salinity effect on purslane physiology, increase in chlorophyll content was seen in Ac2, Ac4, Ac6, and Ac8 at 16 dS m−1salinity, whereas Ac4, Ac9, and Ac12 showed increased photosynthesis at the same salinity levels compared to control. Anatomically, stem cortical tissues of Ac5, Ac9, and Ac12 were unaffected at control and 8 dS m−1salinity but root cortical tissues did not show any significant damage except a bit enlargement in Ac12 and Ac13. A dendrogram was constructed by UPGMA based on biomass yield and physiological traits where all 13 accessions were grouped into 5 clusters proving greater diversity among them. The 3-dimensional principal component analysis (PCA) has also confirmed the output of grouping from cluster analysis. Overall, salinity stressed among all 13 purslane accessions considering biomass production, physiological growth, and anatomical development Ac9 was the best salt-tolerant purslane accession and Ac13 was the most affected accession.

This study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidative activity of extracts from different parts of Mengkudu (Morinda citrifolia L.), including leaf, fruit and root. Methanol and ethyl acetate were used as solvents and antioxidative effects measured by a ferric thiocyanate method (FTC) and thiobarbituric acid test (TBA). The methanol extract of Mengkudu root exhibited high antioxidative activity that was not significantly (P

The nutritional quality of spray-dried protein hydrolysate from black tilapia, a fresh water fish, was evaluated. Hydrolysed protein from Oreochromis mossambicus was spray-dried at two different temperatures of 150 °C/76 °C (inlet/outlet temp) and 180 °C/90 °C. Proximate analyses revealed that the dried hydrolysates consisted of 37.7–49.6% protein, 2.6–2.8% fat, 1.6–4.0% moisture and 8.6–8.7% ash. The higher drying temperature used was found to significantly decrease the contents of all amino acids analysed. Nevertheless, the protein quality of both dried hydrolysates was found to be high, with in vitro digestibilities of 88.4 and 92% and protein digestibility corrected amino acid scores of 0.34 and 0.82, respectively. In addition, the predicted protein efficiency ratios of the dried hydrolysates were calculated to be 2.97 and 2.53.

This study was carried out to determine, evaluation and characterization of the morphological, physiological as well as mineral nutrient vitiations among all forty five purslane accessions collected from different locations of West Peninsular, Malaysia. Significant differences (p

Cosmos caudatus, which is a commonly consumed vegetable in Malaysia, is locally known as “Ulam Raja”. It is a local Malaysian herb traditionally used as a food and medicinal herb to treat several maladies. Its bioactive or nutritional constituents consist of a wide range of metabolites, including glucosinolates, phenolics, amino acids, organic acids, and sugars. However, many of these metabolites are not stable and easily degraded or modified during storage. In order to investigate the metabolomics changes occurring during post-harvest storage, C. caudatus samples were subjected to seven different storage times (0 hours, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, 8 hours, 10 hours, and 12 hours) at room temperature. As the model experiment, the metabolites identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were correlated with α-glucosidase inhibitory activity analyzed with multivariate data analysis (MVDA) to find out the variation among samples and metabolites contributing to the activity. Orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS) analysis was applied to investigate the metabolomics changes. A profound chemical alteration, both in primary and secondary metabolites, was observed. The α-tocopherol, catechin, cyclohexen-1-carboxylic acid, benzoic acid, myo-inositol, stigmasterol, and lycopene compounds were found to be the discriminating metabolites at early storage; however, sugars such as sucrose, α-d-galactopyranose, and turanose were detected, which was attributed to the discriminating metabolites for late storage. The result shows that the MVDA method is a promising technique to identify biomarker compounds relative to storage at different times.

Dry matter (DM), total phenolics, flavonoids, carotenoid contents, and antioxidant activity of 12 purslane accessions were investigated against five levels of salinity (0, 8, 16, 24 and 32dSm(-1)). In untreated plants, the DM contents ranged between 8.0-23.4g/pot; total phenolics contents (TPC) between 0.96-9.12mgGAEg(-1)DW; total flavonoid contents (TFC) between 0.15-1.44mgREg(-1)DW; and total carotenoid contents (TCC) between 0.52BCEg(-1)DW. While FRAP activity ranged from 8.64-104.21mgTEg(-1)DW (about 12-fold) and DPPH activity between 2.50-3.30mgmL(-1) IC50 value. Different levels of salinity treatment resulted in 8-35% increases in TPC; about 35% increase in TFC; and 18-35% increases in FRAP activity. Purslane accessions Ac4, Ac5, Ac6 and Ac8 possessed potentials for salinity-induced augmented production of bioactive compounds which in turn can be harnessed for possible human health benefits.

Purslane (Portulaca oleraceaL.) is an herbaceous leafy vegetable crop, comparatively more salt-tolerant than any other vegetables with high antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. Salt-tolerant crop variety development is of importance due to inadequate cultivable land and escalating salinity together with population pressure. In this view a total of 25 purslane accessions were initially selected from 45 collected purslane accessions based on better growth performance and subjected to 5 different salinity levels, that is, 0.0, 10.0, 20.0, 30.0, and 40.0 dS m−1NaCl. Plant height, number of leaves, number of flowers, and dry matter contents in salt treated purslane accessions were significantly reduced (P≤0.05) and the enormity of reduction increased with increasing salinity stress. Based on dry matter yield reduction, among all 25 purslane accessions 2 accessions were graded as tolerant (Ac7 and Ac9), 6 accessions were moderately tolerant (Ac3, Ac5, Ac6, Ac10, Ac11, and Ac12), 5 accessions were moderately susceptible (Ac1, Ac2, Ac4, Ac8, and Ac13), and the remaining 12 accessions were susceptible to salinity stress and discarded from further study. The selected 13 purslane accessions could assist in the identification of superior genes for salt tolerance in purslane for improving its productivity and sustainable agricultural production.

Acumulating evidence favours the view that increased intake of dietary fibre in an otherwise low-fibre diet can have beneficial effects in both human and experimental animals. These benefits include prevention or alleviation of maladies such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, diverticulosis and colon cancer. Studies have repeatedly shown that rice bran gives interesting health benefits. Compositional analysis reveals that rice bran consists of almost 27% dietary fibre and has been reported to have positive effects, such as laxative and cholesterol-lowering ability. This suggests that rice bran is a good fibre source that can be added to various food products. This paper examines the use of a dietary fibre preparation, derived from defatted rice bran, as a functional ingredient added to bakery products. The results show that dietary fibre from defatted rice bran has comparable water-binding capacity to FIBREX, commercial fibre from sugar beet. Dietary fibre from rice bran exhibited higher fat binding and emulsifying capacity compared to FIBREX. However, rice bran fibre was found to be less viscous than FIBREX. Addition of 5 and 10% dietary fibre preparation reduced loaf volume significantly and increased the firmness of the breads. Sensory evaluations revealed that breads with 5 and 10% rice bran fibre were comparable to high-fibre bread available in the market. This confirms that the dietary fibre preparation from defatted rice bran has great potential in food applications, especially in development of functional foods.

The methanolic extracts of 13 accessions of purslane were analyzed for their total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), and total carotenoid contents (TCC) and antioxidant activity of extracts was screened using FRAP assay and DPPH radical scavenging methods. The TPC, TFC, and TCC ranged from0.96±0.04to9.12±0.29 mg GAE/g DW,0.13±0.04to1.44±0.08 mg RE/g DW, and0.52±0.06to5.64±0.09 mg (β-carotene equivalent) BCE/g DW, respectively. The DPPH scavenging (IC50) activity varied between2.52±0.03 mg/mL and3.29±0.01 mg/mL and FRAP ranged from7.39±0.08to104.2±6.34 μmol TE/g DW. Among all the measured micro- and macrominerals K content was the highest followed by N, Na, Ca, Mg, P, Fe, Zn, and Mn. The overall findings proved that ornamental purslane was richer in antioxidant properties, whereas common purslane possesses more mineral contents than ornamental ones.