An Overview of The Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) Fruit: A Potential source of Nutritional and Health Promoting Phytoconstituents
Pp. 66-74 (9)
F. Lucy Oyetayo and I. Adebayo Odeniyi
Abstract
The Tamarind fruit is an arboreal fruit of the Tamarind plant (Tamarindus
indica), an unconventional fruiting tree that grows mostly in the wild. The fruit
contains phytoconstituents with important food and therapeutic applications. The fruit
extract has been shown to possess antimicrobial and health-promoting activities such as
antioxidative, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, and hypolipidemic properties. It is an
important flavoring agent in food and beverage processing due to the aroma of its
flavor constituents. The fruit is a potential source of readily available, affordable,
natural nutritive, and medicinal components that can be exploited as a healthpromoting
food for the developing world.
Keywords:
Antioxidative, Antidiabetic, Antinutrients, Hepatoprotective,
Hypolipidemic, Medicinal, Nutritional, Phytoconstituents, Tamarind,
Unconventional.
Affiliation:
Department of Biochemistry, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
