Chemical Composition, Nutritional Value, and Biological Evaluation of Tunisian Okra Pods (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench)

Abstract

The aim of this work was to perform an unprecedented in-depth study on the bioactive phytochemicals of Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench Tunisian landrace (Marsaouia). For this purpose, its nutritional, aroma volatile, and phenolic profiles were characterized, and sundry biological activities were assessed in vitro. The approximate composition revealed that total dietary fiber as the most abundant macronutrient, mainly insoluble dietary fiber, followed by total carbohydrates and proteins. In addition, okra pods were rich in K, Ca, Mg, organic acids, tocopherols, and chlorophylls. Gas Chromatography-Electron Impact Mass Spectrometry (GC-EIMS) analysis showed that oxygenated monoterpenes, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, and phenylpropanoids were the predominant essential volatile components in A. esculentus pods. A total of eight flavonols were detected by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to a DAD detector and mass spectrometry by electrospray ionization (HPLC-DAD-MS/ESI); with quercetin-3-O-glucoside being the majority phenolic component, followed by quercetin-O-pentosyl-hexoside and quercetin-dihexoside. This pioneering study, evidences that Tunisian okra display promising antioxidant and cytotoxic actions, in addition to relevant inhibitory effects against α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes, and interesting analgesic activity.

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) Powder Production and Application in Gluten-Free Bread: Effect of Particle Size

“…reports the physicochemical properties of fresh and powdered okra. In agreement withRomdhane et al (2020), dosSantos et al (2019) andFalade and Omojola (…”

“…The whole pod is edible as well as its leaves, buds, and flowers (Farinde et al, 2006). According to Romdhane et al (2020), okra pods consist of 81.9 g/100 g water, 8.2 g/100 g total dietary fibre (of which 4.7 g/100 g insoluble fibre and 3.4 g/100 g soluble fibre), 4.9 g/100 g carbohydrates, 3.6 g/100 g crude proteins, 1.5 g/100 g ash, 0.07 g/100 g fat and 50.6 kcal/100 g of energy. Furthermore, okra pods contain vitamins (e.g.…”

Protective Effect of Red Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) Pods against Sodium Nitrite-Induced Liver Injury in Mice

“…In this study, the serum AST, ALT, and ALP activities generally decreased in the mice given the extract compared to the SN. ese results may show that the flavonoid compounds from okra earlier described by Khomsug et al [36], Anjani et al [22], and Irshad et al [21] restored the normal activities of the enzymes at the highest dose (100 mg/kg BW). e results are corroborated by the study of Alqasoumi [14] and Hu et al [34], where the administration of various doses of ethanol and methanol extracts of okra caused a decrease in the activities of liver enzymes in carbon tetrachloride-(CCl 4 -) induced oxidative stress.…”

“…In another study, okra flavonoid content caused an increase in the activity of SOD previously jeopardized by oxidative stress in fatigue-induced male mice compared to the control [35]. It was explained to support these results that okra pods have flavonoid compounds such as anthocyanin and quercetin that act as antioxidants [21,22,36] which scavenge free Different superscript letters within each column indicate a significant difference between the means (p < 0.05). SOD: superoxide dismutase, CAT: catalase, MDA: malondialdehyde, NO: nitric oxide, WA: mice were given water alone, SN: mice were given NaNO 2 alone.…”

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) as a Potential Functional Food Source of Mucilage and Bioactive Compounds with Technological Applications and Health Benefits

“…Okra is a nutrient-rich food and its inclusion in one’s diet can bring many benefits. Dietary fibers are the most abundant macronutrients (8.16 g/100 g fresh weight), followed by carbohydrates (4.86 g/100 g fresh weight) and proteins (3.55 g/100 g fresh weight) [ 23 ]. Despite the low-fat content (0.19 g/100 g) and energy (33 kcal/100 g equivalent to 138 kJ/100 g) of okra fruits [ 24 ], their seeds contain unsaturated fatty acids, such as linoleic acid, that are essential for human nutrition [ 5 , 25 ].…”