Quercetin: Potential antidiabetic effects through enzyme inhibition and starch digestibility

Diabetes mellitus involves high blood sugar levels due to insufficient insulin action. Furthermore, enzymes such as α-amylase and α-glucosidase break down carbohydrates into glucose, leading to postprandial hyperglycemia. Flavonoids, particularly quercetin, inhibit these enzymes, slowing carbohydrate digestion and reducing glucose absorption. Quercetin has significant hypoglycemic effects with inhibitory concentration (IC50) values comparable to acarbose, a standard inhibitor, suggesting its potential as a natural alternative for diabetes management. In silico models, including molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) approaches, help researchers understand the molecular interactions of therapeutic agents. These techniques identify potential inhibitors, determine enzyme-inhibitor structures, and calculate binding energies, correlating findings with in vitro or in vivo data. Molecular docking predicts molecular orientations, MD simulations offer insights into enzyme–inhibitor dynamics, and QSAR models predict inhibitory potential based on structural properties. Studies have shown that quercetin effectively inhibits α-glucosidase and α-amylase by forming hydrogen bonds with specific amino acid residues. Quercetin interacts with starches and reduces their digestibility, increases the formation of resistant starch, lowers the glycemic index, and inhibits digestive enzymes. Studies show that the effects of quercetin on starch digestion vary with concentration and type of starch, and its incorporation into foods such as bakery products, pasta, etc. can significantly decrease starch hydrolysis. The incorporation of quercetin into starch matrices may aid in the development of functional foods aimed at improving glycemic control. © 2024 The Author(s). Food Safety and Health published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of International Association of Dietetic Nutrition and Safety

Buckwheat: an underutilized crop with attractive sensory qualities and health benefits

The pseudocereal buckwheat is one of the ancient domesticated crops. The aim of the present review was to outline the potential of buckwheat as an agricultural crop and brings studies on buckwheat into a new larger perspective combining current knowledge in agricultural history and practice, nutritional and sensory properties, as well as possible benefits to human health. Historically, buckwheat was an appreciated crop because of its short growth period, moderate requirements for growth conditions, and high adaptability to adverse environments. Nowadays, interest in buckwheat-based food has increased because of its nutritional composition and many beneficial properties for human health. Buckwheat is a rich course of proteins, dietary fibers, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, including flavonoids. Moreover, it contains no gluten and can be used in the production of gluten-free foods for individuals diagnosed with celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, or wheat protein allergies. Buckwheat is traditionally used in the production of various foods and can be successfully incorporated into various new food formulations with positive effects on their nutritional value and attractive sensory properties. Further research is needed to optimize buckwheat-based food development and understand the mechanism of the health effects of buckwheat consumption on human well-being

Individual or mixing extrusion of Tartary buckwheat and adzuki bean: Effect on quality properties and starch digestibility of instant powder

IntroductionTartary buckwheat and adzuki bean, which are classified as coarse grain, has attracted increasing attention as potential functional ingredient or food source because of their high levels of bioactive components and various health benefits.MethodsThis work investigated the effect of two different extrusion modes including individual extrusion and mixing extrusion on the phytochemical compositions, physicochemical properties and in vitro starch digestibility of instant powder which consists mainly of Tartary buckwheat and adzuki bean flour.ResultsCompared to mixing extrusion, instant powder obtained with individual extrusion retained higher levels of protein, resistant starch, polyphenols, flavonoids and lower gelatinization degree and estimated glycemic index. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (35.45%) of the instant powder obtained with individual extrusion was stronger than that obtained with mixing extrusion (26.58%). Lower levels of digestibility (39.65%) and slower digestion rate coefficient (0.25 min−1) were observed in the instant powder obtained with individual extrusion than in mixing extrusion (50.40%, 0.40 min−1) by logarithm-of-slope analysis. Moreover, two extrusion modes had no significant impact on the sensory quality of instant powder. Correlation analysis showed that the flavonoids were significantly correlated with physicochemical properties and starch digestibility of the instant powder.DiscussionThese findings suggest that the instant powder obtained with individual extrusion could be used as an ideal functional food resource with anti-diabetic potential

Pseudocereals

Pseudocereals are being hailed as a means of combating food and nutrition insecurity around the world. They are plants that produce fruits or seeds that are used and consumed as grains and thus they have the potential to withstand harsh weather conditions and other issues faced by most crops grown at present. They are nutrient-dense and have several functional properties. This book provides an overview of pseudocereals, including information on their nutritional value and processing techniques

Lactic fermentation as a strategy to improve the nutritional and functional values of pseudocereals

One of the greatest challenges is to reduce malnutrition worldwide while promoting sustainable agricultural and food systems. This is a daunting task due to the constant growth of the population and the increasing demands by consumers for functional foods with higher nutritional values. Cereal grains are the most important dietary energy source globally; wheat, rice, and maize currently provide about half of the dietary energy source of humankind. In addition, the increase of celiac patients worldwide has motivated the development of gluten-free foods using alternative flour types to wheat such as rice, corn, cassava, soybean, and pseudocereals (amaranth, quinoa, and buckwheat). Amaranth and quinoa have been cultivated since ancient times and were two of the major crops of the Pre-Colombian cultures in Latin-America. In recent years and due to their well-known high nutritional value and potential health benefits, these pseudocereals have received much attention as ideal candidates for gluten-free products. The importance of exploiting these grains for the elaboration of healthy and nutritious foods has forced food producers to develop novel adequate strategies for their processing. Fermentation is one of the most antique and economical methods of producing and preserving foods and can be easily employed for cereal processing. The nutritional and functional quality of pseudocereals can be improved by fermentation using Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB). This review provides an overview on pseudocereal fermentation by LAB emphasizing the capacity of these bacteria to decrease antinutritional factors such as phytic acid, increase the functional value of phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds, and produce nutritional ingredients such as B-group vitamins. The numerous beneficial effects of lactic fermentation of pseudocereals can be exploited to design novel and healthier foods or grain ingredients destined to general population and especially to patients with coeliac disease.Fil: Rollan, Graciela Celestina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Gerez, Carla Luciana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Leblanc, Jean Guy Joseph. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; Argentin

Phenolic compounds in Fagopyrum sp. grains (buckwheat) : profile, bioactivity and effect of processing

This study aimed to investigate the health benefits related to chemical com-pounds found in buckwheat cultivars. Factors influencing the presence of bioactive compounds with assumed health effects were examined. Two spe-cies of buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum (common buckwheat) and Fag-opyrum Tartaricum (tartary buckwheat) were evaluated. The selection of species was based on the comprehensive documented effects of these as well as their long-raging use as therapeutics in traditional medicine. Buck-wheat can be considered an optimal cultivar in sustainable food farming since it has a strong adaptability to harsh environment, making it a versatile crop which can be cultivated worldwide without using pesticides. Both buckwheat species have in previous studies been shown to contain high amounts of carbohydrates and proteins, rich in vitamins and minerals. Besides, they contain high quantities of phenolic compounds and phytoster-ols with pharmacological properties and potential to prevent the develop-ment of some chronic diseases. Additionally, buckwheat has a unique, bal-anced macro and micro nutritional composition and is free of gluten and re-lated prolamins, making it prospective as a functional food, suitable for peo-ple with coeliac disease. Crude protein has all essential amino acids and are observed to reduce serum cholesterol and cell proliferation. Extracted pro-tein could be used to develop plant-based protein products with low envi-ronmental impact. Phenols, compounds with high antioxidant activity, have been found ubiqui-tous in buckwheat and were suggested to be responsible for various health modulating effects. Hence, the emphasis in this study was to determine the Abstract plant material that contained the highest amount of phenols and other com-pounds with biological activity. The result demonstrated that the highest total phenolic content was found in F. Tartaricum (tartary buckwheat). The content was particularly high in the bran followed by the hull and the flour (9.49, 7.71, 3.06, 1.26 GA/g-1 DW, respectively). In F. esculentum the total phenolic content ranged from 0,05 (‘Novosadska’) to 0.3 g (Bosna 1 and 2) GA/g-1 DW. The concentrations obtained varied significantly in the same species depending on location and environment of cultivation. Tartary buckwheat also had a significantly higher content of free phenols compared to common buckwheat, with a co-herently higher antioxidant activity. P-hydroxybenzoic, ferulic and proto-catechuic acids were the dominant phenolic acids in tartary buckwheat, and accounted for 83–88% of the total phenolic acid content while ferulic, vanil-lic, p-coumaric and syringic acids were estimated as the major individual phenolic acids in common buckwheat.Among the flavonoids, the most abundant compounds were catechin (monomeric flavan-3-ols), rutin, orientin, vitexin and quercetin. Rutin was the major phenol in common buckwheat seeds (90,5 % of the total phenolic content). Processing of raw buckwheat somewhat altered the profile of bioactive compounds compared to the raw material. Soaking activates enzymes such as rutin 3-glucosidase which hydrolyses the glycoside rutin to quercetin. Heat treatment increases the fraction of free phenolic compounds but de-creases the ester, glycoside, and ester-bound fractions. This may enhance the antioxidant activity. Regarding absorption and bioavailability, phenols are absorbed differently depending on the chemical composition. Phenolic glycosides, polymers and esters needs to be hydrolyzed by intestinal enzyme or degraded by microbes in the colon before absorption. Quercetin glycosides, including rutin, can be transported by SGLT1. This proposes querecetin glycosides as inhibitors of glucose uptake. Many flavonoids are however rapidly metabolized in the liver into methoxy derivatives or conjugated derivatives before excretion. To conclude, buckwheat has a great potential both as a functional food and as a carrier of pharmacological compounds. It can prevent and treat diseases with high mortality rate in both first, second and third world countries. It can also be an option for drugs that is more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable

Nutritional and Phytochemical Content of High-Protein Crops

The authors acknowledge support from the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) via their strategic research and partnership programs.Peer reviewedPostprin

Increasing the utilisation of sorghum, millets and pseudocereals : developments in the science of their phenolic phytochemicals, biofortification and protein functionality

There is considerable interest in sorghum, millets and pseudocereals for their phytochemical content, their nutritional potential and their use in gluten-free products. They are generally rich in a several phenolic phytochemicals. Research has indicated that the phenolics in these grains may have several important health-promoting properties: prevention and reduction of oxidative stress, anti-cancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive and cardiovascular disease prevention. However, increased research on the actual health-promoting properties of foods made from these grains is required. Biofortified (macro and micronutrient enhanced) sorghum and millets are being developed through conventional breeding and recombinant DNA technology to combat malnutrition in developing countries. Enhanced nutritional traits include: high amylopectin, high lysine, improved protein digestibility, provitamin A rich, high iron and zinc, and improved mineral bioavailability through phytate reduction. Some of these biofortified cereals also have good agronomic characteristics and useful commercial end-use attributes, which will be important to their adoption by farmers. Knowledge of the structure of their storage proteins is increasing. Drawing on research concerning maize zein, which shows that it can produce a visco-elastic wheat-like dough, it appears that the storage proteins of these minor grains also have this potential. Manipulation of protein b-sheet structure seems critical in this regard.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jcshb201

From ‘Farm to Fork’: Exploring the Potential of Nutrient-Rich and Stress-Resilient Emergent Crops for Sustainable and Healthy Food in the Mediterranean Region in the Face of Climate Change Challenges

In the dynamic landscape of agriculture and food science, incorporating emergent crops appears as a pioneering solution for diversifying agriculture, unlocking possibilities for sustainable cultivation and nutritional bolstering food security, and creating economic prospects amid evolving environmental and market conditions with positive impacts on human health. This review explores the potential of utilizing emergent crops in Mediterranean environments under current climate scenarios, emphasizing the manifold benefits of agricultural and food system diversification and assessing the impact of environmental factors on their quality and consumer health. Through a deep exploration of the resilience, nutritional value, and health impacts of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) such as quinoa, amaranth, chia, moringa, buckwheat, millet, teff, hemp, or desert truffles, their capacity to thrive in the changing Mediterranean climate is highlighted, offering novel opportunities for agriculture and functional food development. By analysing how promoting agricultural diversification can enhance food system adaptability to evolving environmental conditions, fostering sustainability and resilience, we discuss recent findings that underscore the main benefits and limitations of these crops from agricultural, food science, and health perspectives, all crucial for responsible and sustainable adoption. Thus, by using a sustainable and holistic approach, this revision analyses how the integration of NUS crops into Mediterranean agrifood systems can enhance agriculture resilience and food quality addressing environmental, nutritional, biomedical, economic, and cultural dimensions, thereby mitigating the risks associated with monoculture practices and bolstering local economies and livelihoods under new climate scenarios.The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support received from the Agencia Estatal de Investigación—Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN, Spain) (RED2022-134382-T).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio