Monthly Archives: March 2022

African yam beans (Sphenostylis stenocarpa): Nutritional Perspective

African yam beans (Sphenostylis stenocarpa) is a tropical luminous plant with good nutritional qualities. The plant grows seed above ground and their yield is of a good standard to use as a food crop. The seeds contain about 14 % … Continue reading

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Luffa echinata (Bitter Sponge): Medicinal Plant

Luffa echinata (bitter sponge) is a medicinal plant that belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family of plants. Cucurbitaeae family plants are known to be an important food and medicine and in regard to the latter have been evidenced to possess antiulcer, … Continue reading

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Kaempferol: Disease Preventing Flavonoid

Kaempferol is a flavonoid present in a wide range of edible plants. Kaempferol belongs to the sub-group flavonols, and in this regard is in the same group as quercetin, myricetin and galangin. Tea, broccoli, cabbage, kale, beans, endive, leek, tomato, … Continue reading

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Phytochemistry of White Cabbage (Brassica oleracea)

White cabbage (Brassica oleraceae) is a cruciferous vegetable belonging to the same family as broccoli, Brussel sprouts, watercress and cauliflower. Cabbage is a relatively cheap vegetable and is commonly available in large parts of the world, which makes it an … Continue reading

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How Much Protein Is Too Much Protein?

Some claim that overconsuming protein can have detrimental effects as the body must dispose of the nitrogen from any over consumed protein. Protein can also contribute to weight gain if it is over consumed as it can be converted to … Continue reading

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Blood Vitamin B12 Levels in Vegetarians and Nonvegetarians

Vitamin B12 is an important essential nutrient required for normal metabolic function. Most vitamin B12 in foods are in those of animal origin, and as a result vegans and vegetarians have much lower intakes. Studies generally show that vegans have … Continue reading

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Ficus racemosa: Lipase Inhibitor

Dietary fats are a mixture of triglycerides, and their absorption is through the lymphatic system following enzymatic hydrolysis by lipase to fatty acids, monoglycerides and glycerol. Inhibition of the lipase enzyme in the gut has been shown to decrease fat … Continue reading

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Sources of Vitamin B12

Meat, eggs, fish and shellfish are good sources of vitamin B12. Saturation of vitamin B12 absorption is thought to occur at intakes of around 1.5 to 2.0 micrograms per meal, and this is due to the ability of intrinsic factor, … Continue reading

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Vitamin B12 in Edible Algae

Vitamin B12 is found predominantly in foods of animal origin. Only microorganisms can synthesise vitamin B12 and plants do not use it in their metabolism. As a result plants are a poor source of the vitamin. Vitamin B12 is essential … Continue reading

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Spirulina and Chlorella as a Source of Vitamin B12

Spirulina and chlorella are macroalgae that are grown for their nutritional content. They are good sources of a number of nutrients including protein, vitamins, minerals and phytochemical antioxidants. Microalgae have excellent nutritional value and have become increasingly popular in Western … Continue reading

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