Nutritional properties of selected superfood extracts and their potential health benefits

PeerJ

article

Jacqueline P. Barsby¹  James M. Cowley¹  Shalem Y. Leemaqz²  Jessica A. Grieger²  Daniel R. McKeating⁵  Anthony V. Perkins⁵  Susan E. P. Bastian¹  Rachel A. Burton¹  Tina Bianco-Miotto¹ 

[1] Waite Research Institute and School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide;Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide;College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University of South Australia;Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide;School of Medical Science, Griffith University

关键词: Flax;    Chia;    Hemp;    Sunflower;    Superfoods;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.12525

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Background The term ‘superfoods’ is used to market foods considered to have significant health benefits. ‘Superfoods’ are claimed to prevent diseases as well as improving overall health, though the lack of explicit criteria means that any food can be labelled ‘super’ without support from scientific research. Typically, these ‘superfoods’ are rich in a particular nutrient for example antioxidants or omega-3 fatty acids. The objective of this study was to investigate the nutritional properties of a selection of superfood seeds: flax, chia, hulled sunflower and two types of processed hemp seeds and determine whether they may have potential health benefits. Methods We developed a simple aqueous extraction method for ground seeds and analysed their composition by mineral, protein and monosaccharide analyses. Cell viability assays were performed on Caco-2 and IEC-6 intestinal epithelial cells using increasing doses of the prepared extracts. Results Increased cell viability was observed in both cell lines with increasing concentrations of the flax seed, chia seed or hulled sunflower extracts (P < 0.05). Compositional analyses revealed the presence of polysaccharides, proteins and essential minerals in the aqueous extracts and in vitro assays showed sunflower had the highest antioxidant activity. However, differences in extract composition and antioxidant properties could not be directly related to the observed increase in cell viability suggesting that other components in the extracts may be responsible. Future studies will further characterize these extracts and investigate whether they are beneficial for gastrointestinal health.

【 授权许可】

CC BY