Record Details

Studies on Bioactive Compounds and Nutritional Evaluation of n-3 Fatty acid Rich Garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) seed oil.

IR@CSIR-CFTRI

View Archive Info
 
 
Field Value
 
Relation http://ir.cftri.com/11763/
 
Title Studies on Bioactive Compounds and
Nutritional Evaluation of n-3 Fatty acid Rich
Garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) seed oil.
 
Creator Umesha, S. S.
 
Subject 10 Plants
17 Fatty Acid Chemistry
 
Description Dietary fats play important role in human nutrition. Fat is the most
concentrated source of energy. One gram of fat gives 9 kcal of energy, where as
carbohydrates and protein provide 4 kcal/g only. Hence fat provides calorie density to
the diet. Fats are essential in the diet for absorption and mobilization of fat soluble
vitamins such as Vitamins A, D E & K and fat soluble antioxidants. These vitamins
are not utilized by the body if fat is not available in the diet. Thus fat works as a
vehicle to carry the fat soluble vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants in the body.
Stored fats provide insulation, helps to regulate body temperature. Fat is stored in
adipose tissue, provides cushioning between organs. Vegetable oils are the only
source of Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) to the body. EFAs are the precursor for a
group lipid related compounds called eicosanoids. They are like local hormones and
regulate many physiological functions. Lipids act as principal components of cell
membranes, maintain cellular integrity, shape, and flexibility. Lipids are needed by all
cell membranes, nerve, brain, eye, heart, adrenal and thyroid cells to function. They
help to prevent or relieve symptoms of depression, facilitate the delay of memory loss
and dementia
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of the n-3 series as well as those of n-6
series are essential fatty acids and have to supplement through diet. Alpha-linolenic
acid (18:3: n-3,α-ALA) and n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA)
viz., eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA n-3, 20:5) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, n-3,
22:6) are essential for normal growth, brain and retina development. It is also
suggested to have beneficial effects on health, especially for the prevention of
cardiovascular diseases and inflammatory diseases. Moreover, these fatty acids are
suggested to ameliorate behavioral and mental health disturbances such as depression,
schizophrenia, dementia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
In recent years, due to increased consumption of n-6 PUFA rich vegetable oils
like Sunflower, Corn, Rice bran, and Safflower oils has shifted the n-6 to n-3 PUFA
Synopsis
Title: Studies on bioactive compounds and nutritional evaluation of
n-3 fatty acid rich Garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) seed oil
iv
ratio to 50:1 instead of a WHO/FAO recommended ratio of 10:1 or 2:1. There is an
overall deficiency of ALA in our diet. Studies indicated that intake of high n-6
PUFAs (18:2, LA) in our diet has shifted the physiological status to one that is prothrombotic
and pro-aggregatory, characterized by increases in blood viscosity,
vasospasm, and vasoconstriction and decreases in bleeding time. Further, the
deficiency of n-3 PUFAs has been implicated in inflammatory diseases viz., atopic
dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, ulcerative colitis and cancer. However,
sufficient intake of n-3 PUFAs alters membrane fluidity, down-regulates
inflammatory genes, lipid synthesis and stimulates fatty acid degradation.
The major dietary sources of ALA are vegetable oils namely rapeseed,
flaxseed, perilla, walnut and soybean oils. n-3 LCPUFA are essentially provided by
dietary sources such as fish and sea foods or formed in vivo through a series steps of
elongation and desaturation from ALA.
A survey on Indian dietary fatty acid pattern, in both rural and urban
populations showed that linoleic acid (18:2, LA) levels were adequate to too high due
to consumption of vegetable oils rich in n-6 fatty acids. 31% of Indians are
vegetarians and among non-vegetarians fish consumption is limited due to geographic
and economic reasons. Therefore, there is a need to moderate n-6 PUFA and increase
n-3 PUFA in Indian vegetarian diet. To achieve this goal, oils including soybean,
rapeseed, flax seed and walnut oil are being recommended as dietary oils rich in ALA.
However, because of poor shelf life flax seed oil, it has been used either as an oral
supplement or as a component of a controlled liquid-formula in diet. Therefore, an
alternative way to increase n-3 fatty acids in the diet by adopting new safest
technologies or have to be explored and assessed from new plant sources for shelf
stable ALA rich oils.
Lepidium sativum L. commonly called garden cress belongs to the family
Brassicaceae. It is an annual erect herbaceous plant, cultivated all over the world. The
plant is native to Southwest Asia (Persia) and spread many centuries ago to Western
Europe. Garden cress shoots are added to soups, sandwiches and salads for its tangy
flavor. It is also eaten as sprouts. In England, cut cress shoots are commonly used in
sandwiches with boiled eggs, mayonnaise and salt. It figures prominently in Indian
v
Materia Medica with Sanskrit name Chandrasura. The seeds of garden cress claimed
to possess varied medicinal properties like galactogogue, aperient, diuretic, alterative,
tonic, demulcent, aphrodisiac, carminative and emmenagoggue. Garden cress seeds
contain 24% of oil in which 32–34% is ALA. Garden cress seed oil (GCO) is
relatively stable oil due to the presence of a high concentration of antioxidants and
phytosterols. It has 1799 ppm of tocopherols and 531.56 μg/100g of caroteniods and
14.33 mg/g of phytosterols. Garden cress seeds have not been commercially exploited
as an alternate source of ALA rich oil. Despite its great medicinal and nutritional
value, garden cress has not received the attention it deserves. The United Nation
Organization’s FAO has classified garden cress is one of the underutilized or
neglected (cultural suppression) crop among age old crops.
 
Contributor Akhilender Naidu, K.
 
Date 2014
 
Type Thesis
NonPeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
Identifier http://ir.cftri.com/11763/1/Shankara%20Shetty%20Umesha_Thesis.pdf
Umesha, S. S. (2014) Studies on Bioactive Compounds and Nutritional Evaluation of n-3 Fatty acid Rich Garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) seed oil. Doctoral thesis, University of Mysore.