Title : Valorization of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) seeds: A sustainable management of Agroindustrial waste for metabolic disease intervention
Abstract:
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is widely grown crop in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world, and its fruit is commonly consumed. However, due to poor handling and storage of okra, it is being wasted every year especially okra seeds which are rich in protein (21.3-38.0 %), unsaturated fatty acids particularly linoleic acid (40-42 %) and oleic acid (22-26 %), dietary fiber (9.2-37.7 %) and antioxidants such as phenols (2.5-2.9 mg GAE/g) and flavonoids (0.07- 4.54 mg RE/g) yet they remain underutilized. The study highlights the importance of okra seeds in metabolic disease intervention. They show anti-diabetic and anti-hyperlipidemic properties as they have alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activities and antioxidant activities. According to several in-vivo interventional studies, okra seed powder can lower fasting blood glucose and LDL Cholesterol levels. Experimental studies indicated that okra seed powder Abstract Submission Template showed significant results at the doses of 100-200 mg/kg body weight and reduced fasting blood glucose levels between 17.5-61.6 mg/dL and serum LDL Cholesterol levels ranging from 2.5-13.3 mg/dL. On the other hand, okra seeds are utilized in studies as gluten-free flour at different substitute levels of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 45 and 50 % for the development of functional products such as cookies, biscuits, cakes, muffins, dhokla, chin-chin and rice noodles. Moreover, its powder is also used at 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 4 and 5 % as a coffee substitute and is incorporated as functional ingredient in chicken nuggets. The data for this study is synthesized from PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science (2015-2026), focusing on biochemical profiling, in-vivo intervention trials and utilization of okra seed powder in functional product development. Beside all these nutritional properties, okra seeds contain anti-nutritional factors such as phytates (0.5-1.8 %) and oxalates (0.2-0.5 %) that hinder the absorption of minerals and protein digestibility in the body. Future research should focus on using techniques to lower the percentage of these anti-nutritional factors and to increase the valorization of okra seeds. In addition to this, there is a need for randomized control human trials at a large-scale to verify these nutraceutical claims. Okra seeds can be used as sustainable ingredients in functional food industry and its valorization as a functional ingredient to develop value-added products can ensure sustainable agro-industrial waste management, nutritional security and help lower the global burden of non-communicable diseases.
