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Moringa oleifera seed oil: Composition, nutritional aspects and health attributes

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The mature seed of Moringa oleifera is rich in oil containing between 22-40% crude fat. Variation in oil yield may be due to the differences in variety of plant, cultivation climate, ripening stage, the harvesting time of the seeds and the extraction method used. The high percentage of oil makes this seed a distinct potential for the oil industry. Indeed, a search of the literature shows that the oil is commercially available in countries like India. An examination of the oil composition indicates that the oil has a high proportion of monounsaturated fatty acid, namely oleic acid, which comprising between 65-75% of the total fatty acid composition. The relative similarity in oleic acid content with other high oleic acid oils from sources such as olive, high oleic sunflower seeds, high oleic safflower seeds and high oleic canola seeds bodes well for M. oleifera oil as high oleic oils have been touted as a functional food good for health. It has been demonstrated that a higher dietary intake of monounsaturated fatty acid (mainly oleic acid) is associated with decreased risk in coronary heart disease. Like other high oleic oils, M. oleifera seed oil has been found to have excellent deep-fat frying performance, being less prone to oxidative and high-temperature degradation into by-products that may be toxic to the body following consumption of the fried food.
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Nuts and Seeds in Health and Disease Prevention Chapter 93
(Edited by Victor R. Preedy, Ronald Ross Watson and Vinood B. Patel: Elsevier Life Sciences)
Moringa oleifera seed oil: Composition, nutritional
aspects and health attributes
H.M Ghazali and S.M Abdulkarim
Department of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University Putra
Malaysia, 43300 UPM, Serdang, Selangor D.E, Malaysia
Tel.: +60389464201; fax: +6089464232; E-mail address: hasanah@putra.upm.edu.my
ak@food.upm.edu.my
Running title: Moringa oleifera seed oil is healthy
Total words: 3133
Number of references: 20
Number of tables: 3
Number of figures: 1
Abstract
The mature seed of Moringa oleifera is rich in oil containing between 22-40% crude
fat. Variation in oil yield may be due to the differences in variety of plant, cultivation climate,
ripening stage, the harvesting time of the seeds and the extraction method used. The high
percentage of oil makes this seed a distinct potential for the oil industry. Indeed, a search of
the literature shows that the oil is commercially available in countries like India. An
examination of the oil composition indicates that the oil has a high proportion of
monounsaturated fatty acid, namely oleic acid, which comprising between 65-75% of the
total fatty acid composition. The relative similarity in oleic acid content with other high oleic
acid oils from sources such as olive, high oleic sunflower seeds, high oleic safflower seeds
and high oleic canola seeds bodes well for M. oleifera oil as high oleic oils have been touted
as a functional food good for health. It has been demonstrated that a higher dietary intake of
monounsaturated fatty acid (mainly oleic acid) is associated with decreased risk in coronary
heart disease. Like other high oleic oils, M. oleifera seed oil has been found to have excellent
deep-fat frying performance, being less prone to oxidative and high-temperature degradation
into by-products that may be toxic to the body following consumption of the fried food.
Key words:
Moringa oleifera; high oleic acid, decreased risk, coronary heart disease, excellent frying
performance, oxidative stability
List of abbreviations:
M. oleifera: Moringa oleifera
Introduction
The Moringa oleifera seed contains about 22-40% by weight of pale yellow, non
drying oil that has been much used for illuminations as it burns without smoke. It is also
utilized in hairdressing and for soap making. It has been valued in perfume manufacture
because of its capacity to absorb and retain floral fragrances (Chopra et al., 1965), and
formerly was highly priced for lubricating fine watches and machinery in Europe (Lowell
1999). The oil from the seeds is known commercially as 'Ben' or 'Behen' oil is edible. The
pleasant-tasting edible oil resembles olive oil and has been widely used as salad oil in Haiti
and the Caribbean. The seed oil contains all the fatty acids found in olive oil, except linolenic
acid.
Botanical descriptions
M. oleifera Lam belongs to the genus Moringaceae which consists of 14 known
species. Of these, M. oleifera is the most widely known and utilised species. The plant is a
native of the sub-Himalayan regions of North West India, and is now indigenous to many
countries in Africa, Arabia, South East Asia, the Pacific and the Caribbean islands and South
America. The tree is widely known as the drumstick or horseradish tree. In Malaysia, the
plant is known as „kelor‟. The tree ranges in height from 5-12 meters with an open,
umbrella-shaped crown, straight short trunk with corky, whitish bark, soft, spongy wood. It
has slender, wide spreading, drooping, fragile branches. The foliage can be evergreen or
deciduous depending on climate. It is attractive, gracefully lacy; the alternate twice or trice-
pinnate leaves being spirally arranged, mostly at the branch tips. Leaves are long petiole
about 20-50 cm long, with four to six pairs of pinnae bearing two pairs of opposite leaflets
that are elliptical or obovate (Figure 1a) . The fruits (or pods) are initially light green (Figure
1b) becoming dark green and grow up to 60 cm which when mature became dry and brown
in color (Figure 1c). Mature seeds are round or triangular-shaped, the kernel surrounded by a
light wooded shell with three papery wings (Figure 1d)
a b
c d
Figure 1. Parts of the M. oleifera plants (a) leaves; (b) mature green pods; (c) mature
dry pod and (d) mature seeds surrounded by papery wings
Cultivation and usage
Ancient usage of M. oleifera has been widely reported. The use of the oil extracted
from the mature seeds by ancient Egyptians has been well documented. The oil is treasured
by the Egyptians for skin protection against infections and damage due to extremes of desert
conditions. The benefits of the healthful attributes of the oil were later exported to the
Ancient Greeks and Romans who also used the oil in skin protection. The light and non-
drying nature of the oil e makes it a good massage oil and also in aromatherapy applications.
Due to its tremendous cosmetic value, it was used extensively by the ancient Egyptians as
body and hair care as moisturizer and conditioner. It is also used by ancient Egyptian, Greeks,
and Romans in extracting floral fragrances used in perfumes. The oil has an excellent ability
of retaining fragrances extracted from flowers.
Over the centuries more uses of the oil were discovered in all parts of the world where
the plant is grown. Almost every part of the M. oleifera is value for food. In India, Malaysia,
the Philippines and tropical Africa, the tree is priced mainly for its edible fruits, leaves,
flowers, roots, and seed oil. Tender young plants, less than 0.5 meters high, young leaves and
even mature leaflets and the flower as well, stripped from their stems are cooked and
consumed in salads, soups, sauces, or simply as greens. When mature, the pods yielded seeds
that can be extracted and treated like green peas, fried or roasted and eaten like peanuts.
Powdered seeds have been used in parts of Africa for water clarification and disinfection
during water treatment. In Malaysia, immature pods are cut into small pieces and added to
curries. In Haiti and elsewhere, the seeds are browned in a skillet then crushed and boiled in
water. The oil, which floats, is skimmed off for use as a general culinary and salad oil and for
treatment of skin diseases (Foidl et al., 2001).
Proximate composition of M. oleifera seed
The proximate composition of M. oleifera seed oil has been reported by Abdulkarim
et al. (2005) as follows: moisture, 7.9 ± 1.00%; crude protein, 38.3 ± 1.03%; crude oil, 30.8 ±
2.19%, crude fibre, 4.5 ± 0.38% and ash, 6.5 ± 0.15%. The oil content is comparable to those
that have been reported previously (Makkar and Becker, 1997). Anwar and Bhanger (2003)
reported higher oil contents (38-42%) in seeds produced by M. oleifera grown under
temperate regions of Pakistan.
Properties of M. oleifera seed oil
The high degree of unsaturation (75.2%) of the oil is due to the high percentage of
oleic acid (70%) (Abdulkarim et al., 2005). Apart from oleic acid, other prominent fatty acids
include palmitic (7.8%), stearic (7.6%) and behenic (6.2%) acids (Table 1). Anwar and
Bhanger (2003) in their study on M. oleifera grown in temperate regions reported that the
oleic acid content tended to be higher (up to 78.5%) compared to plants grown in the tropics
(Abdulkarim et al., 2005).
Table 1. Fatty acid composition, degree saturation and
degree unsaturation of M. oleifera seed oil
Type of fatty acid
Percent
Myristic/Tetradecanoic acid (C14:0)
Palmitic/Hexadecanoic acid (C16:0)
Palmitoleic/Hexadecenoic acid (C16:1)
Stearic/Octadecanoic acid (C18:0)
Oleic/Octadecenoic acid (C18:1)
Linoleic/Octadecadienoic acid (C18:2)
Linolenic/Octadecatrienoic acid (C18:3)
Arachidic/Eicosanoic acid (C20:0)
Gadoleic/Eicosaenoic acid (C20:1)
Behenic/Docosanoic acid (C22:0)
Arachidic/Eicosanoic acid (C24:0)
0.2
6.8
2.9
6.5
70.0
0.9
-
4.2
1.4
5.8
1.3
Unsaturated fatty acid
Saturated fatty acid
50.9
49.1
Source: Abdulkarim et al., (2005)
The oil is liquid at room temperature and pale yellow in colour. Electronic nose
analysis showed that the unrefined oil has a flavour similar to that of peanut oil. The melting
point estimated by differential scanning calorimetry was found to be 19.0oC (Abdulkarim et
al., 2005). The oil contains 36.7% triolein as the main triacylglycerol, followed by other oleic
acid-containing triacylglycerols such as palmito-diolein and stearo-diolein. Table 2 shows
some other properties of the oil.
Table 2. Physical and chemical properties of
M. oleifera seed oil
Properties
Values
Melting point (oC)
Solid fat content (%) (at room temperature)
Colour
Red index
Yellow index
Iodine value (g I2/100 g)
Saponification value (mg KOH/oil g)
Unsaponifiable matter content (%)
Viscosity (cP)
19.0
11.1%
0.7
5.9
65.4
164
0.74
17.7
Source: Abdulkarim et al., (2005); Abdulkarim et al., (2006)
It has also been reported that unrefined extract of the oil contains sterols such as
campesterol (16.0%), stigmasterol (19.0%),
-sitosterol (46.65%), 5-avenasterol (10.70%),
and clerosterol (1.95%) (Anwar and Bhanger, 2003). There were also minute amounts of 24-
methylenecholesterol, 7-campestanol, stigmastanol, and 28-isoavenasterol. Some sterols,
specifically cholesterol, were not detected. The oil was also reported to contain important
minor components such tocopherols (α, γ, and δ) up to 123.50-161.30, 84.07-104.00, and
41.00-56.00 mg/kg, respectively.
The application of enzymes for the extraction of the oil has been studied and reported
by Abdulkarim et al (2006). In this study, four commercial enzymes, namely neutral protease,
-amylase, cellulose and pectinases, were used to extract the oil from ground seeds. The
conditions of extraction reflected the optimum temperature and pH of the enzyme in use. It
was found the neutral protease was able to produce the highest oil recovery (72%) of the total
yield obtained from solvent-assisted extraction. The greater effectiveness of the protease
compared to the other enzymes examined can be ascribed to its ability to hydrolyse proteins
in the seeds, disrupting any possible association between protein and oil in the seed matrix
and cell membrane. Most of the properties shown in Table 2 were not affected by the use of
enzymes during extraction except that the oil that was slightly more intense in colour when
solvent-extracted. Combining all four enzymes at 2% (w/v) each improved recovery to 74%.
The oleic acid content of the oil extracted from the may be elevated to 75.2% oleic through
judicious use of temperature-assisted fractionation (Abdulkarim et al. 2007a).
Applications of Moringa oleifera oil in health promotion and disease
prevention
The high content of oleic acid (67-74.5%) or up to 75.2% after fractionation of oil
containing initially 70% oleic acid allows the oil to be classified together with other high
oleic acid oils such as olive oil, and genetically modified high oleic sunflower (>80%), high
oleic safflower (>77%) and high oleic canola oil (>75%). Olive oil which has been termed
the most ancient functional food in history (Ruiz-Gutiérrez and Perona, 2007) paves the way
for the natural Moringa oil to be considered similarly. R&D are underway worldwide to
increase the number of plants capable to producing high oleic acid contents through various
means including genetic modification such as cotton, oil palm and soybean (Watkins, 2009a;
2009b). The high percentage of oleic acid in the oil makes it desirable in terms of nutrition
and high stability cooking and frying oil.
Many circumstances have focused attention on high oleic acid vegetable oils. It has
been demonstrated that a higher dietary intake of “bad” fats (saturated and trans fatty acids)
is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease caused by high cholesterol
levels in the blood (Mensink and Katan, 1990) whereas a higher intake of good fats
(monounsaturated/oleic acid) is associated with a decreased risk (Corbett, 2003; Lopez-
Huertas, 2009). Mensink and Katan (1990) reported that monounsaturated fatty acids
(MUFA) such as oleic acid were capable of reducing blood cholesterol levels in non-
hypertriglyceridemic individuals. Further, Allman-Farinelli et al. (2005) reported that when
foods rich in high oleic acid including margarine were used to substitute foods rich in
saturated fatty acids, human subjects under test were found to have lower levels of blood
serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides and factor VII coagulant activity, a
component of the hemostatic system that is a demonstrated risk factor for either primary or
secondary atherothrombotic events. It was also reported that diets rich in monounsaturated
fatty acids may lower fibrinogen and decrease both the activity and antigenic PAI-1 in
healthy persons.
High oleic acid vegetable oils have been found to have enough oxidative stability to
be used in demanding applications such as deep-fat frying (Corbett, 2003). In addition, high
oleic oils have low saturated fatty acid levels. Therefore, high-oleic oils can be viewed as a
healthy alternative to partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Studies carried on the effect of
frying of foods on the properties of M. oleifera oil have variously shown the oil to be stable
to oxidation. Tsaknis and Lalas (2002) reported that the cold-pressed oil had better frying
stability compared to the hexane-extract oil, and that virgin olive oil had the highest
resistance to thermal degradation. Abdulkarim et al. (2007b) reported that the frying
performance of the oil was better than regular canola and soybean oils, and comparable to
palm olein. The data obtained showed lower conversion of the oil to rather toxic polymers
that are often formed when oils high in polyunsaturated fatty acids are used for deep-fat
frying.
The use of M. oleifera for the prevention and treatment of various ailments has been
reported in many folk medicines all over the world. In India Ayurvedic medicine, Moringa is
used as a preventative agent to about 300 diseases. Most of the health claims are attributed to
the leaves and roots and their decoctions. In the past the medicinal value of the oil extracted
from the seeds is restricted to treatment of few conditions such as those in treatment of skin
disorders. More recently however, the benefits of using the oil for the prevention and cure for
other diseases have been studied and reported. Some of the therapeutic and nutritional uses of
the oil are shown in Table 3.
Table 3. Therapeutic and nutritional uses of M. oleifera seed oil
Conditions
Medical
- Fungal infections
- Skin infections (pyodermia)
- Constipation (as purgative)
General disorders, prostate function,
bladder function, gout, scurvy
Nutritional
- Antioxidant
Summary Points
Moringa oleifera Lam seeds contain a high proportion of oil that can launch the plant as a
major source of plant oil for edible and non-edible purposes. Application of enzymes for
oil extraction, though with lower yields compared to solvent-assisted extraction, may
allow labelling of the oil as organic oil.
The fatty acid composition of M. oleifera seed oil is similar to that of olive oil.
Like olive oil and other genetically modified high oleic acid oils such as sunflower,
safflower and canola oils, M. oleifera oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acid namely
oleic acid.
The high oleic acid content of the oil confers it a functional food property as oils
containing high oleic content have been shown to reduce risks of coronary heart disease.
The oil is also an excellent frying medium with low degradation rate when applied at high
cooking temperatures.
The unrefined oil contains minor components that included tocopherols and other
metabolites that have made the oil to be used to treat medical disorders and the like.
References:
Abdulkarim, S. M, Lai, O. M, Muhammad, S. K. S, Long, K and Ghazali, H. M (2005). Some
physico-chemical properties of Moringa oleifera seed oil extracted using solvent and
aqueous enzymatic methods. Food Chem. 93, 253-263.
Abdulkarim, S. M, Lai, O. M, Muhammad, S. K. S, Long, K and Ghazali, H. M (2006). Use
of enzymes to enhance oil recovery during aqueous extraction of Moringa oleifera seed
oil. J. Food Lipids 13, 113-130.
Abdulkarim, S. M, Lai, O. M, Muhammad, S. K. S, Long, K and Ghazali, H. M (2007a).
Oleic acid enhancement of Moringa oleifera seed oil by enzymatic transesterification
and fractionation. ASEAN Food J. 14, 89-100.
Abdulkarim, S. M, Lai, O. M, Muhammad, S. K. S, Long, K. and Ghazali, H. M (2007b).
Frying quality and stability of high-oleic Moringa oleifera seed oil in comparison with
other vegetable oils. Food Chem. 105, 1382-1389.
Allman-Farinelli, M. A., Gomes, K., Favaloro, E. J and Petocz, P. (2005). Diet rich in high-
oleic-acid sunflower oil favorably alters low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,
triglycerides, and Factor VII coagulant activity. J Am Diet Assoc. 105, 1071-1079.
Anwar, F and Bhanger, M. I (2003). Analytical characterization of Moringa oleifera seed oil
grown in temperate regions of Pakistan. J. Agric. Food Chem. 51, 6558-6563.
Chopra, R. N., Badhwar, R. L. and Ghosh, S (1965). Poisonous plants of India, 1, 412-427.
Chuang, P-H., Lee, C-W., Chou, J-C., Murugan, M., Shieh, B-J and Chen, H-M (2007). Anti-
fungal activity of crude extracts and essential oil of Moringa oleifera Lam. Bioresource
Technol. 98, 232236.
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Inform 14, 480-481.
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agricultural and industrial Uses, In: The Miracle Tree: The multiple uses of Moringa
(Lowell J. F., ed) CTA, Wageningen, The Netherlands, Pp 45-76.
Fuglie L. J (1999). The Miracle tree: Moringa oleifera: Natural Nutrition for the tropics.
Church World service, Dakar pp 68; revised in 2001 and published as the miracle tree:
The multiple attributes of Moringa. pp172.
Lopez-Huertas, E (2009). Health effects of oleic acid and long chain omega-3 fatty acids
(EPA and DHA) enriched milks. A review of intervention studies. Pharmacol. Res. In
press.
Lowell, J. F (1999). Moringa oleifera: Natural Nutrition for the tropics. Church World
Service, Dakar Senegal.
Makkar, H.P.S. and Becker, K (1997). Nutrients and anti-quality factors in different
morphological parts of the Moringa oleifera tree, J Agric. Sci. Cambridge, 128, 311-322.
Mensink, R. P and Katan, M. B. (1990). Effect of dietary trans-fatty acids on high-density
and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in healthy subjects, J. Clin. Nutr. 323,
439-445.
Ruiz-Gutiérrez, V and Perona, J. V. (2007). Olive oil. The most ancient functional food in
history. Inform. 18, 151-153.
Siddhuraju P. and Becker K. (2003). Antioxidant properties of various solvent extracts of
total phenolic constituents from three different agro-climatic origins of drumstick tree
(M. Oleifera Lam.) J. Agric. Food Chem., 51, 2144-2155.
Tsaknis, J and Lalas, S (2002). Stability during frying of Moringa oleifera seed oil variety
„„Periyakulam 1‟‟. J. Food Comp. Anal. 15, 79101.
Watkin, C (2009a). Oilseeds of the future: Part 2. Inform. 20, 342-344.
Watkin, C (2009b). Oilseeds of the future: Part 3. Inform. 20, 408-410.
... Examination of the oil composition indicates that the oil has a high proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids, particularly oleic acid. It has been demonstrated that a higher dietary intake of monounsaturated fatty acid (mainly oleic acid) is associated with decreased risk in coronary heart disease [52,53]. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of moringa seeds have been screened for various pharmacological and commercial utility, including metal antidote, anti-asthmatic, antiarthritic, and hepatoprotective activities, It´s reported that moringa seed extracts were effective against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. ...
... Keywords: charcoal, thermogravimetric, pyrolysis, biomass Culex quinquefasciatus,86,263 cultivars,108,130 cultivation,272 culture,38,339 cure,6,113,227,233,234 cyclophosphamide,46,47,62,65 cysteine,90,168,175 cystine,178 cytochrome,310 cytokines,51,80,228 cytoplasm,77 cytotoxicity,38,39,47,51,61,79,203,209 D damages,iv,51,205,256 Danio rerio,xv,52,58,66,248,259,267 data analysis,xviii,342 database,304 deaths,42,73,76,77,83,228,249,251 decomposition,343,346,348,349,350 deficiency,xi,9,12,109,137,156,225 degradation,129,153,169,171,179,207,328,334 dehydration,9,126,130,169 dementia,24,233,243,299 dengue,xi,xiv,70,71,73,74,75,89,94,96,97,99,100,182,248,249,251,259,263,264,265,266,267 dengue virus,89,94,97,251,259 dephosphorylation,227 derivatives,142,198,277,312 derived,xiii,xviii,95,104,109,115,130,142,146,170,173,187,190,196,203,216,235,278,303,342,343 dermatology,210 desiccation,75,255,266 detoxification,112,230,251 developed nations,284 developing countries,x,2,9,12,14,70,72,109,140,147 G gallic acid, 106,107,114,165,170,200,201,330,333 gamma radiation,256 gastric mucosa,233 gastric ulcer,129,229,233,312 genotoxic,x,36,47,48,259 genotoxicity,xv,38,47,54,65,248,259,266 genus,ix,2,73,75,80,82,104,197,290,291 germination,7,271 glioblastoma,131,164 glucomoringin,108,297,298 gluconeogenesis,132,145,165 glucose,5,22,43,49,52,108,112,115,142,145,164,180,227,240,282,293,302,308,313,314,334 glucosinolates,xvi,7,106,108,111,117,122,127,143,158,171,202,225,229,234,272,280,294,299,302,304,306 glucosinolates and Isothiocyanate,186,200 glutathione,7,49,198,229,251,280,332 glycerol,xvi,111,140,272,294,302,304 glycine,109,180 glycoside,xi,6,51,70,82,106,111,272,294,304 glycosides,xvi,106,109,129,163,176,235,279,297,302 growth,3,7,8,19,33,52,60,73,95,106,109,114,118,141,170,182,183,197,205,228,233,237,258,262,270,273,281,283,292,293,295,297,303,306,310,312 xii, xv, 5, 37, 62, 74, 78, 167, 209, 213, 231, 269, 271, 277, 296, 329 health, ix, xi, xiii, xvi, xvii, 2, 9, 17, 25, 34, 59, 89, 99, 118, 137, 138, 139, 143, 146, 148, 154, 157, 165, 171, 172, 197, 198, 209, 211, 223, 225, 226, 231, 232, 234, ...
... Keywords: charcoal, thermogravimetric, pyrolysis, biomass Culex quinquefasciatus,86,263 cultivars,108,130 cultivation,272 culture,38,339 cure,6,113,227,233,234 cyclophosphamide,46,47,62,65 cysteine,90,168,175 cystine,178 cytochrome,310 cytokines,51,80,228 cytoplasm,77 cytotoxicity,38,39,47,51,61,79,203,209 D damages,iv,51,205,256 Danio rerio,xv,52,58,66,248,259,267 data analysis,xviii,342 database,304 deaths,42,73,76,77,83,228,249,251 decomposition,343,346,348,349,350 deficiency,xi,9,12,109,137,156,225 degradation,129,153,169,171,179,207,328,334 dehydration,9,126,130,169 dementia,24,233,243,299 dengue,xi,xiv,70,71,73,74,75,89,94,96,97,99,100,182,248,249,251,259,263,264,265,266,267 dengue virus,89,94,97,251,259 dephosphorylation,227 derivatives,142,198,277,312 derived,xiii,xviii,95,104,109,115,130,142,146,170,173,187,190,196,203,216,235,278,303,342,343 dermatology,210 desiccation,75,255,266 detoxification,112,230,251 developed nations,284 developing countries,x,2,9,12,14,70,72,109,140,147 G gallic acid, 106,107,114,165,170,200,201,330,333 gamma radiation,256 gastric mucosa,233 gastric ulcer,129,229,233,312 genotoxic,x,36,47,48,259 genotoxicity,xv,38,47,54,65,248,259,266 genus,ix,2,73,75,80,82,104,197,290,291 germination,7,271 glioblastoma,131,164 glucomoringin,108,297,298 gluconeogenesis,132,145,165 glucose,5,22,43,49,52,108,112,115,142,145,164,180,227,240,282,293,302,308,313,314,334 glucosinolates,xvi,7,106,108,111,117,122,127,143,158,171,202,225,229,234,272,280,294,299,302,304,306 glucosinolates and Isothiocyanate,186,200 glutathione,7,49,198,229,251,280,332 glycerol,xvi,111,140,272,294,302,304 glycine,109,180 glycoside,xi,6,51,70,82,106,111,272,294,304 glycosides,xvi,106,109,129,163,176,235,279,297,302 growth,3,7,8,19,33,52,60,73,95,106,109,114,118,141,170,182,183,197,205,228,233,237,258,262,270,273,281,283,292,293,295,297,303,306,310,312 xii, xv, 5, 37, 62, 74, 78, 167, 209, 213, 231, 269, 271, 277, 296, 329 health, ix, xi, xiii, xvi, xvii, 2, 9, 17, 25, 34, 59, 89, 99, 118, 137, 138, 139, 143, 146, 148, 154, 157, 165, 171, 172, 197, 198, 209, 211, 223, 225, 226, 231, 232, 234, ...
Chapter
Tropical neglected diseases (TNDs) are a group of parasitic infections that prevail in tropical and subtropical regions, affecting more than one billion people who live predominantly in developing countries. The poorest and marginalized populations suffer the most because of TNDs. These diseases strongly impact the local economy since billions of dollars are spent each year on public health strategies to treat or prevent these diseases. For this reason, they are often neglected by governments. Different tissues of the tree Moringa oleifera Lam. contain a set of metabolites, including proteins, vitamins, and minerals, with nutritional, pharmacological, and biotechnological potential. Several studies have described the activities of extracts and compounds isolated from the seeds, flowers, leaves, and roots of M. oleifera. Of these, lectins (carbohydrate-binding proteins), protease inhibitors, and the thiocarbamate glycoside niazinin stand out for their potential use in combating vectors and/or etiologic agents of TNDs such as dengue, African human trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, Buruli ulcer, lymphatic filariasis, and schistosomiasis. Here, we provide a brief review of each of these diseases, and of the metabolites of M. oleifera with a potential to treat or prevent the spread of TNDs.
... Examination of the oil composition indicates that the oil has a high proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids, particularly oleic acid. It has been demonstrated that a higher dietary intake of monounsaturated fatty acid (mainly oleic acid) is associated with decreased risk in coronary heart disease [52,53]. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of moringa seeds have been screened for various pharmacological and commercial utility, including metal antidote, anti-asthmatic, antiarthritic, and hepatoprotective activities, It´s reported that moringa seed extracts were effective against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. ...
... Keywords: charcoal, thermogravimetric, pyrolysis, biomass Culex quinquefasciatus,86,263 cultivars,108,130 cultivation,272 culture,38,339 cure,6,113,227,233,234 cyclophosphamide,46,47,62,65 cysteine,90,168,175 cystine,178 cytochrome,310 cytokines,51,80,228 cytoplasm,77 cytotoxicity,38,39,47,51,61,79,203,209 D damages,iv,51,205,256 Danio rerio,xv,52,58,66,248,259,267 data analysis,xviii,342 database,304 deaths,42,73,76,77,83,228,249,251 decomposition,343,346,348,349,350 deficiency,xi,9,12,109,137,156,225 degradation,129,153,169,171,179,207,328,334 dehydration,9,126,130,169 dementia,24,233,243,299 dengue,xi,xiv,70,71,73,74,75,89,94,96,97,99,100,182,248,249,251,259,263,264,265,266,267 dengue virus,89,94,97,251,259 dephosphorylation,227 derivatives,142,198,277,312 derived,xiii,xviii,95,104,109,115,130,142,146,170,173,187,190,196,203,216,235,278,303,342,343 dermatology,210 desiccation,75,255,266 detoxification,112,230,251 developed nations,284 developing countries,x,2,9,12,14,70,72,109,140,147 G gallic acid, 106,107,114,165,170,200,201,330,333 gamma radiation,256 gastric mucosa,233 gastric ulcer,129,229,233,312 genotoxic,x,36,47,48,259 genotoxicity,xv,38,47,54,65,248,259,266 genus,ix,2,73,75,80,82,104,197,290,291 germination,7,271 glioblastoma,131,164 glucomoringin,108,297,298 gluconeogenesis,132,145,165 glucose,5,22,43,49,52,108,112,115,142,145,164,180,227,240,282,293,302,308,313,314,334 glucosinolates,xvi,7,106,108,111,117,122,127,143,158,171,202,225,229,234,272,280,294,299,302,304,306 glucosinolates and Isothiocyanate,186,200 glutathione,7,49,198,229,251,280,332 glycerol,xvi,111,140,272,294,302,304 glycine,109,180 glycoside,xi,6,51,70,82,106,111,272,294,304 glycosides,xvi,106,109,129,163,176,235,279,297,302 growth,3,7,8,19,33,52,60,73,95,106,109,114,118,141,170,182,183,197,205,228,233,237,258,262,270,273,281,283,292,293,295,297,303,306,310,312 xii, xv, 5, 37, 62, 74, 78, 167, 209, 213, 231, 269, 271, 277, 296, 329 health, ix, xi, xiii, xvi, xvii, 2, 9, 17, 25, 34, 59, 89, 99, 118, 137, 138, 139, 143, 146, 148, 154, 157, 165, 171, 172, 197, 198, 209, 211, 223, 225, 226, 231, 232, 234, ...
... Keywords: charcoal, thermogravimetric, pyrolysis, biomass Culex quinquefasciatus,86,263 cultivars,108,130 cultivation,272 culture,38,339 cure,6,113,227,233,234 cyclophosphamide,46,47,62,65 cysteine,90,168,175 cystine,178 cytochrome,310 cytokines,51,80,228 cytoplasm,77 cytotoxicity,38,39,47,51,61,79,203,209 D damages,iv,51,205,256 Danio rerio,xv,52,58,66,248,259,267 data analysis,xviii,342 database,304 deaths,42,73,76,77,83,228,249,251 decomposition,343,346,348,349,350 deficiency,xi,9,12,109,137,156,225 degradation,129,153,169,171,179,207,328,334 dehydration,9,126,130,169 dementia,24,233,243,299 dengue,xi,xiv,70,71,73,74,75,89,94,96,97,99,100,182,248,249,251,259,263,264,265,266,267 dengue virus,89,94,97,251,259 dephosphorylation,227 derivatives,142,198,277,312 derived,xiii,xviii,95,104,109,115,130,142,146,170,173,187,190,196,203,216,235,278,303,342,343 dermatology,210 desiccation,75,255,266 detoxification,112,230,251 developed nations,284 developing countries,x,2,9,12,14,70,72,109,140,147 G gallic acid, 106,107,114,165,170,200,201,330,333 gamma radiation,256 gastric mucosa,233 gastric ulcer,129,229,233,312 genotoxic,x,36,47,48,259 genotoxicity,xv,38,47,54,65,248,259,266 genus,ix,2,73,75,80,82,104,197,290,291 germination,7,271 glioblastoma,131,164 glucomoringin,108,297,298 gluconeogenesis,132,145,165 glucose,5,22,43,49,52,108,112,115,142,145,164,180,227,240,282,293,302,308,313,314,334 glucosinolates,xvi,7,106,108,111,117,122,127,143,158,171,202,225,229,234,272,280,294,299,302,304,306 glucosinolates and Isothiocyanate,186,200 glutathione,7,49,198,229,251,280,332 glycerol,xvi,111,140,272,294,302,304 glycine,109,180 glycoside,xi,6,51,70,82,106,111,272,294,304 glycosides,xvi,106,109,129,163,176,235,279,297,302 growth,3,7,8,19,33,52,60,73,95,106,109,114,118,141,170,182,183,197,205,228,233,237,258,262,270,273,281,283,292,293,295,297,303,306,310,312 xii, xv, 5, 37, 62, 74, 78, 167, 209, 213, 231, 269, 271, 277, 296, 329 health, ix, xi, xiii, xvi, xvii, 2, 9, 17, 25, 34, 59, 89, 99, 118, 137, 138, 139, 143, 146, 148, 154, 157, 165, 171, 172, 197, 198, 209, 211, 223, 225, 226, 231, 232, 234, ...
Chapter
Moringa oleifera Lam. is a tree species with high food, medicinal, and industrial values, being widely cultivated and used in treatment of water for human consumption. The use of M. oleifera is increasing and its commercialization has driven the search for scientifically proven information about safety and therapeutic effectiveness. Natural compounds can trigger risks to human health, being essential the evaluation of the safe use of plants for humans and animals. This work aimed to carry out a review on the progress of researches related to the toxicological assessment of M. oleifera preparations, providing an overview of the investigation of the safety of this plant use in the last 11 years. This review was designed to address different toxicology models and consists of a collection of 77 articles describing studies on M. oleifera toxicity. The efficiency of M. oleifera preparations in reaching specific cellular targets has been highlighted by in vitro studies, indicating a high potential of this plant against cancer cell lines. Investigations of the acute, subacute, and chronic toxicity of moringa preparations have demonstrated the absence of toxicological effects depending on the tested concentration, route of administration, time of exposure, plant tissue or organ, extraction method and animal model. Other data have also demonstrated the low genotoxic and mutagenic potential of M. oleifera and its relevant protective activities against DNA damage. The researches developed until today have focused mainly on leaves and seeds, but studies involving other parts of this plant are needed, since all of them are used for some purpose.
... In Caribbean and Haitian traditions, the pleasant edible oil has a flavor comparable to olive oil and is frequently used as a salad dressing. Moringa seed includes all of the essential fatty acids contained in the oil (Ghazali and Abdulkarim, 2015). The edible seed oil of Moringa oleifera is known as "Ben" or "Behen" oil in the commercial world. ...
... In Caribbean and Haitian traditions, the pleasant edible oil has a flavor comparable to olive oil and is frequently used as a salad dressing. Moringa seed includes all of the essential fatty acids contained in the oil (Ghazali and Abdulkarim, 2015). Researchers have described it as a plant with various health benefits, including nutritional and medicinal benefits (Ogbe and Affiku, 2011;Chhikara et al., 2020;Padayachee and Baijnath, 2020). ...
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Currently, the rate of pollution, pollutants and toxic chemicals in the environment is increasing, which poses a threat to living organisms. Toxic chemicals affect the functions of the body's organs negatively. Plant extracts and natural products are considered to have effective nutritional and medicinal benefits. Recently, there is an increasing interest in plant extracts and natural products and their effectiveness in treating many diseases. The principal aim of the present study was occurred to evaluate the protective influence of moringa oil and okra oil against thioacetamide (TAA) induced cardiotoxicity in Wistar male rats. Experimental rats were divided into six groups. Rats of group 1 were used as controls. Group 2 was treated with TAA (300 mg/kg body weight). Group 3 was exposed to moringa oil (800 mg/kg body weight) plus TAA. Group 4 was treated with okra oil (800 mg/kg body weight) plus TAA. Groups 5 and 6 were treated with moringa oil and okra oil respectively. TAA treatment caused significant increases of serum creatin kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels in group 2, while the levels of serum reduced glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were statistically decreased. Administration of moringa oil and okra oil reduced the severity alterations of these parameters. These new results indicate that moringa oil and okra oil represent protective effect against cardiotoxicity induced by TAA due to their antioxidant roles.
... The fruits grow up to 60 cm which when mature became dry and brown in color. Mature seeds are round or triangularshaped, the kernel surrounded by a light wooded husk with three papery wings (Ghazali & Abdulkarim, 2011). ...
... Although each plant can produce a large quantity of seeds when fertilization is adequate (Leone et al., 2016). Several studies (Díaz, Tabio, Goyos, et al., 2017;Ghazali & Abdulkarim, 2011;Leone et al., 2016;Mashiar et al., 2009) focused on seeds and leaves of Moringa because of the oil content and its biological activities. ...
Chapter
In the last few decades, there has been an exponential growth in the field of herbal medicine. Different plants are referenced for their typical therapeutic properties, for example, pain relief, calming, antipyretic, hostile to diabetic, etc. Moringa is one such plant utilized due to its diverse therapeutic properties. Among the 13 species of this tree, present research is limited to Moringa oleifera, Moringa peregrina, Moringa stenopetala, and Moringa concanensis. Most parts of the plant (barks, roots, leaves, flowers, and seeds) are used in the treatment of illness and production of drugs against bacteria, fungi, virus, and other pathogens in human beings. From the health point of view, Moringa seeds oil has been used to treat various diseases because of its biological activities. Unfortunately, many of these reports of efficacy in human beings are not supported by placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials, nor have they been published in high visibility journals. For this reason, researchers have been focused the investigations in order to explain all of the excesses of efficacy claims that have accumulated over the years. This chapter aims to collect about the biological activities of Moringa seeds oil. Furthermore, a description of the fatty acid profile, the oxidative stability, the sterol and tocopherol content of Moringa oil are presented.
... Moringa oil chemical characters include pH 5.96 -saponification value 164.09mg/g -iodine value 68.23g/mol -free fatty acid 8.27 mg KOH/g and specific gravity 0.86 [10]. In addition, Moringa oil contains fatty acids such as: Palmitic acid 6.8% -Oleic acid 70% -Stearic acid 6.5% -Behenic acid 5.8% -Palmitoleic acid 2.9% -Arachidic acid 4.2% and Linoleic acid 0.9% [11]. ...
... A shell made up of light wood consisting of three paper wings surrounds the kernel. The mature seeds are round or triangular in shape (Ghazali and Abdulkarim, 2015). ...
... A shell made up of light wood consisting of three paper wings surrounds the kernel. The mature seeds are round or triangular in shape (Ghazali and Abdulkarim, 2015). ...
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Moringa oleifera belongs to the Moringaceae family, which consists of 13 species. Moringa is associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease with a higher dietary intake of monounsaturated fatty acid (primarily oleic acid). People all over the world use this multipurpose herb both as food as well as for medicinal purposes. Researchers have described it as a plant with various health benefits, including nutritional and medicinal benefits. The important factors responsible for the medicinal use of M. oleifera are attributed to its wide range of vital antioxidants, antibiotics, vitamins, and minerals.
... Often found are vitamins including folic acid, pyridoxin, nicotinic acid, C, D and E, such as beta-carotene vitamin A. Plant chemicals such as glucosinolates, isothiocyanate, glycosides and glycerol-1-9-octadecanoate including tannins, sterols, terpenoids , flavonoids, saponins, anthraquinones or a sugar-reducting agent are available. The moringa leaves can also be used in the obese diet with low calorific value [22][23][24]. The goblets are fibrous and useful for the treatment of stomach disorders and colon cancer. ...
... It was used in the skin care and personal care regime by these people. Moringa oleifera oil was believed to increase skin elasticity, cure wrinkles, rashes, minor wounds, etc. [6,15] Moringa oleifera has long been used in the field of medicine. It has historically been used to treat various ailments in humans. ...
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Moringa oleifera Lam. is a very important medicinal plant grown in the Indian subcontinent and it belongs to the family Moringaceae. This is popularly known as drumstick tree and is used as a food delicacy very popularly. This plant is now well known for its various nutritional properties such as rich source of Vitamins (A and C), minerals (Ca, P, K, Fe, Cu, S, Mg) etc. pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory, abortifacient, Antioxidant, analgesic, antipyretic, etc. All the parts of the plant are used in one way or the other. There have been no complete records on morphological and pharmacognostical studies of the whole plant. In this research article we have tried to examine the complete morpho-anatomy of the plant Moringa oleifera Lam. Simple pharmacognostic studies including macroscopy, microscopy, biostatistical parameters and powder analysis and fluorescent analysis have been performed. The peculiar features observed were the presence of mucilaginous canals in stem and mature petiole; myrosine in all parts of the plant, stellate and rhomboid crystals, reticulate and spiral thickenings in the xylem vessels. The results can be used for further characterization of the plant.
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Gallstones (cholelithiasis) are thickened components of the lipid-modulating digestive fluid in the gall bladder. Commonly, cholesterol super saturation from excess cholesterol or inadequate solubilizing bile salts may result in cholesterol gall stone formation, while excess bilirubin because of liver damage or blood disorders may form pigment gallstones. Cholesterol gall stone formation is strongly correlated with diabetes mellitus and both diseases predispose patients to a high hospitalization rate. Recent studies have examined the potential of Moringa oleifera as a functional food, highlighting the need to test different parts of the deciduous tree for its treatment or adjuvant efficacy. In this study, we report the gall bladder cytoprotective ability of Moringa oleifera seed extracts and the hepatoprotective potential of the seed cake in hyperglycemic and cholesterol gall stone-induced Swiss mice. We show that the seed cake contains 37% protein and caused a 40% increase in body weight over 5 weeks, but the seed oil caused only a 15% increase in body weight over the same period, which supports the possible use of the seed oil as a functional food for weight loss. Seed cake treatment presented the potential for glycemic control, improved hematological and lipid profile and enhanced liver antioxidant activity. Seed oil increased blood high density lipoprotein content, and all seed extracts reduced hepatic sodium pump activity. Our results highlight the need to extract the active compounds in functional foods, as against using the whole plant parts as adjuvant therapies, and it makes a case for the antihyperglycemic and cytoprotective efficacy of Moringa oleifera seed extracts.
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The following article is based on the Chevreul Medal Lecture presented by Valentina Ruiz-Gutiérrez on the occasion of her accepting the award at the 4th Euro Fed Lipid Congress held in Madrid, Spain, October 1-4, 2006. Abstract Olive oil consumption has been proven to have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system. Obtained traditionally from the mechanical pressing of the harvested, cleaned fruit, olive oil is available in various grades, including, extra virgin olive oil, refined olive oil, olive oil, orujo oil and orujo olive oil. In the study, the benefits of a virgin olive oil-enriched diet in a high cardiovascular risk human population have been compared with another vegetable oil (high-oleic sunflower oil) possessing the same quantity of monounsaturated fatty acids but a different content of minor components. Results show that other fatty acids, their positional distribution in triglycerides, the polyphenols and the saponifiable fraction of virgin olive oil can have the same or greater importance than oleic acid itself in reducing or preventing cardiovascular incidence. The antioxidant effect of the polyphenols present in virgin olive oil has also been noted.
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The opportunities for high-oleic vegetable oils are discussed. These oils have demonstrated greater value in tests that measure oxidative stability and also have a low saturated fatty acid level. These oils can replace canola, soybean and partially hydrogenated soybean and canola oils, in edible and nonfood applications.
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Investigations were carried out to evaluate the therapeutic properties of the seeds and leaves of Moringa oleifera Lam as herbal medi- cines. Ethanol extracts showed anti-fungal activities in vitro against dermatophytes such as Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagro- phytes, Epidermophyton Xoccosum, and Microsporum canis. GC-MS analysis of the chemical composition of the essential oil from leaves showed a total of 44 compounds. Isolated extracts could be of use for the future development of anti-skin disease agents. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Article
Moringaoleifera grows throughout most of the tropics and has several industrial and medicinal uses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of different morphological parts of this tree as animal feed. The crude protein (CP) content of leaves, soft twigs and stems was 260, 70 and 60 g kg1 respectively. About 87% of the total CP was in the form of true protein in the leaves (60 and 53% in twigs and stems respectively). The leaves had negligible amounts of tannins (12 g kg1 as diosgenin equivalent, which did not show any haemolytic activity. The phytate content of the leaves was 21 g kg1. In leaves, amounts of all the essential amino acids were higher than the amino acid pattern of the FAO reference protein and comparable to those in soyabeans. The CP and lipid contents of the kernel were 370 and 420 g kg1. The kernels and meal are extracted with water and the extract is used for the purification of water in some developing countries. The residues left after water extraction of kernels and meal (designated as extracted-kernel and extracted-meal) had a CP content of 350 and 700 g kgmol/g and 41 g kg1). The leaves of Moringaoleifera and the residue obtained after the recovery of oil and coagulants can be good sources of proteins for animal feeds.
Article
Moringa oleifera seed oil was extracted using four different types of enzymes to obtain the most efficient extraction parameters. The enzymes used were Neutrase 0.8L (neutral protease), Termamyl 120L, type L (α-amylase), Pectinex Ultra SP-L (pectinase) and Celluclast 1.5L FG (cellulase). These were used either separately or in combination. Individually, Neutrase was found to be the most effective, followed by Termamyl, Celluclast and Pectinex. A combination of the four enzymes was found to be more effective than used separately, with 74% oil recovery. Percent oil recovery for individual enzymes under optimal conditions and with pH adjusted to the individual enzyme's optimum pH were 71.9, 64.8, 62.6 and 56.5 for Neutrase, Termamyl, Celluclast and Pectinex, respectively. Neutrase, Pectinex and the combination of all the four enzymes at 2% (v/w) were found to perform best at 45C, while Termamyl and Celluclast were best at 60C. The physical and chemical properties of the extracted oils such as iodine value (IV) (66.0–67.2 g iodine/100 g oil), free fatty acid (FFA) content (1.13–1.25 as % oleic acid), complete melting points (MPs) (18.6–19.1C) and viscosities (83.1–85.0 cP) except the color were not significantly affected (P > 0.05) by the type of enzyme used in the pretreatment of the seed. However, apart from IV and MP, the values for other properties were significantly different (P < 0.05) from those obtained for solvent-extracted samples.
Article
The physico-chemical properties of oil from Moringa oleifera seed were determined following extraction either with petroleum ether or 2% Neutrase 0.8L (a neutral bacterial protease from Bacillus amyloiquefaciens, Novozyme Bagsvaerd Denmark). The enzyme was chosen following a preliminary study conducted on the enzymatic extraction of M. oleifera seed oil using four commercial enzymes that showed Neutrase to be the best enzyme with the highest oil recovery value. The enzymes used were Termamyl 120L, Type L (α-Amylase), Neutrase® 0.8L (Neutral protease), Celluclast® 1.5 L FG (Cellulase) and Pectinex® Ultra SP-L (Pectinase), all from Novozyme, Denmark. The fatty acid compositions of solvent and enzyme-extracted oil from M. oleifera seed were determined. Results showed that the solvent-extracted oil has 67.9% oleic acid compared to 70.0% in enzyme-extracted oil. Results obtained following analysis of extracted oil showed that the oil is highly unsaturated because of the high percentage of oleic acid. Apart from oleic acid, other prominent fatty acids were palmitic (7.8% and 6.8%), stearic (7.6% and 6.5%), and behenic (6.2% and 5.8%) acids for solvent and enzyme-extracted oils, respectively. It was liquid at room temperature and pale-yellow in colour (0.7R + 5.9Y and 0.7R + 3.0Y for solvent and enzyme-extracted oils, respectively). Electronic nose analysis showed that it had flavor similar to that of peanut oil. The melting points estimated by differential scanning calorimetry were found to be 19.0 and 18.9 °C for the solvent- and enzyme-extracted oils, respectively. The oil contains 36.7% triolein as the main triacylglycerol. The extraction methods were found to slightly influence the relative amounts of the fatty acids in the oil. The oils extracted using these two methods were found to differ in the percentage composition of their fatty acids. Quality attributes such as relative percent of oleic acid, total percentage of unsaturated fatty acids, iodine value, free fatty acid and unsaponifiable matter contents and the colour of the enzyme-extracted oil were better than those of the solvent-extracted oil.