Indigenous leafy vegetables of Eastern Africa - A source of extraordinary secondary plant metabolites
- Indigenous African leafy vegetables vary enormously in their secondary plant metabolites whereat genus and the species have a great impact. In African nightshade (Solanum scabrum), spiderplant (Cleome gynandra), amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), Ethiopian kale (Brassica carinata) and common kale (Brassica oleracea) the specific secondary metabolite profile was elucidated and gained detailed data about carotenoids, chlorophylls, glucosinolates and phenolic compounds all having an appropriate contribution to health beneficial properties of indigenous African leafy vegetables. Exemplarily, various quercetin glycosides such as quercetin-3-rutinoside occur in high concentrations in African nightshade, spiderplant, and amaranth between similar to 1400-3300 mu g/g DW. Additionally the extraordinary hydroxydnnamic acid derivatives such as glucaric isomers and isocitric acid isomers are found especially in amaranth (up to similar to 1250 mu g/g DW) and spiderplant (up to 120 mu g/g DW). Carotenoids concentrations areIndigenous African leafy vegetables vary enormously in their secondary plant metabolites whereat genus and the species have a great impact. In African nightshade (Solanum scabrum), spiderplant (Cleome gynandra), amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), Ethiopian kale (Brassica carinata) and common kale (Brassica oleracea) the specific secondary metabolite profile was elucidated and gained detailed data about carotenoids, chlorophylls, glucosinolates and phenolic compounds all having an appropriate contribution to health beneficial properties of indigenous African leafy vegetables. Exemplarily, various quercetin glycosides such as quercetin-3-rutinoside occur in high concentrations in African nightshade, spiderplant, and amaranth between similar to 1400-3300 mu g/g DW. Additionally the extraordinary hydroxydnnamic acid derivatives such as glucaric isomers and isocitric acid isomers are found especially in amaranth (up to similar to 1250 mu g/g DW) and spiderplant (up to 120 mu g/g DW). Carotenoids concentrations are high in amaranth (up to 101.7 mu g/g DW) and spiderplants (up to 64.7 mu g/g DW) showing high concentrations of beta-carotene, the pro-vitamin A. In contrast to the ubiquitous occurring phenolics and carotenoids, glucosinolates are only present in the Brassicales species Ethiopian kale, common kale and spiderplant characterized by diverse glucosinolate profiles. Generally, the consumption of a variety of these indigenous African leafy vegetables can be recommended to contribute to different benefits such as antioxidant activity, increase pro-vitamin A and anticancerogenic compounds in a healthy diet. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.…
Author details: | Susanne NeugartORCiD, Susanne BaldermannORCiDGND, Benard Ngwene, John Wesonga, Monika SchreinerORCiDGND |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2017.02.014 |
ISSN: | 0963-9969 |
ISSN: | 1873-7145 |
Pubmed ID: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28964364 |
Title of parent work (English): | Food research international |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Place of publishing: | Amsterdam |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Year of first publication: | 2017 |
Publication year: | 2017 |
Creating corporation: | The e-ASTROGAM Collaboration |
Release date: | 2020/04/20 |
Tag: | Carotenoids; Flavonoid glycosides; Glucosinolates; Hydroxycinnamic acids; Indigenous African leafy vegetables |
Volume: | 100 |
Number of pages: | 12 |
First page: | 411 |
Last Page: | 422 |
Funding institution: | project "Horticultural Innovation and Learning for Improved Nutrition and Livelihood in East Africa" within the global food security (GlobE) initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research [FKZ 031A248J]; German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development |
Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Ernährungswissenschaft |
Peer review: | Referiert |