Healthy & Nutritious Organic

Introduction

The growing awareness of the effects of food on human health and the environment has warranted a need to look for alternative food sources. This has promoted a steady increase in demand for plant-based diets [1], which can be attributed to increasing vegan, vegetarian, and flexitarian populations as well as increasing intolerance to animal proteins. Ethical concerns about animal abuse, the nutritional benefits of plant-based diets and the ever-increasing investments in the plant protein sector are all factors contributing to the growth of plant-based foods [2, 3].The plant-based food market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.4% in 2022 to reach $95.52 billion by 2029 [2]. The growth rate for the U.S. plant-based food market was more than doubled in 2020 as sales surged 27% to $7 billion, according to the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) and Good Food Institute (GFI). To meet the increasing demand, there is a need to adopt
plant-Based Diet

climate-resilient food production system with higher yields of improved functional food ingredients. The versatile tropical plant species Moringa with uses for its various parts, particularly the leaves and seeds, holds immense potential for use as ingredients in plant-based food and therapeutic applications.Moringa belongs to the monogeneric Moringaceae family [4]. The genus consists of about 14 species, including the well-known species, Moringa oleifera, which is native to the Indian sub-continent, and Moringa stenopetala, also known as African Moringa, which is endemic to East Africa [5]. The leaves and green pods of Moringa are rich in both macro and micro-nutrients and are eaten as a staple vegetable, espe-cially in the Indian sub-continent and Africa [6].Moringa is one of the world’s most useful tropical trees and often nick-named a ‘multi-purpose tree’ [7, 8]. It is a resilient and highly drought-tolerant tree growing on marginalized land and almost all parts of the plant are useful [9]. The leaves, seeds, pods, flowers, and roots are excellent sources of nutrients and bioactive compounds [10, 11], especially dietary fiber, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals that offer great nutritional and therapeutic benefits [5, 12–14].Moringa is listed among the top plants that could help feed the world and alleviate nutritional deficiencies and is often considered as a superfood [7, 8]. It holds much promise to serve as a source of valuable bioactive compounds for food, pharmaceuti-cal and cosmetic applications [5]. Moringa seed hulls (often considered a waste) are used to develop high performance carbonaceous adsorbents and biological coagulants for water and wastewater treatment and removal of hazardous contaminants, which enhances environmental health [15–17].Unlike M. oleifera for which there are robust scientific studies on its chemistry, food, and therapeutic uses [12, 13], only a few similar scientific studies have been conducted on M. stenopetala [18].M. stenopetala is used as a staple food and traditional medicine by the local people in its native place in East Africa. It grows on the homesteads of small-holder farmers and is tightly linked to the livelihood of local communities in the region (Figure ). The plant is exceptionally rich in nutrients and health-boosting bioactive compounds and could potentially alleviate nutritional deficiencies. The leaves and seeds are high in protein con-tent and contain all the essential amino acids. Recent studies in Canada revealed that M. stenopetala seed protein with its essential amino acid content is the highest among all the commercial plant protein sources based on the FAO database (personal communication)
— 112213Though the plant holds much promise as a source of ingredients for nutrient-and mineral-rich plant-based diets, it is less known to the outside world and rarely utilized in food product formulations. Thus, this chapter reviews recent research interests that aim to uncover potential uses of M. stenopetala ingredients for plant-based food and therapeutic applications.. Origin, ecology, and production of M. stenopetalaM. stenopetala is native to east Africa, with diversity spanning Ethiopia, Kenya, and Central Somalia [19]. In Ethiopia, the distribution of the species is mostly con-centrated in specific zones in the south [20–23]. The presence of M. stenopetala has also been reported in the northern part of the country, specifically in Alamata district of southern Tigray, where it is promoted as an agroforestry tree species [24].M. stenopetala grows in Ethiopia from 390 to 2200 meters above sea level (mas) in the southern Rift Valley, including the arid and semi-arid regions between 1000 and 1800 mas [23, 25]. M. stenopetala grows well in areas receiving annual rainfall and temperature that ranges from 250 to 1500mm and 25°C to 35°C, respec-tively. According to a summary of the national herbarium’s vouchers, the habitat where the genus occurs in Ethiopia consists of rocky riverbanks, dry scrub land, Acacia-Commiphora woodland, watercourses with some evergreens, open Acacia Commiphora bush land on gray alluvial soil, and cultivated lands in and around villages.M. stenopetala is intercropped with food crops in moderately dry regions of south-ern Ethiopia and used as a farm tree (home gardens) to support the livelihoods of the high population present in the region. It is among the most useful trees planted and managed by rural people in the dry areas of Ethiopia [7, 26]. With proper agronomic practices, M. stenopetala has the potential for large-scale commercial farming. It was reported that a single tree of M. stenopetala could support a large family for several years [21, 27]. Thus, M. stenopetala is a promising plant to adopt for a climate-resilient food production system that could have a significant impact on alleviating food insecurity and serve as a source of ingredients in food and therapeutic applications.. Nutrient and bioactive composition of various parts of M. stenopetalaThe nutrient, bioactive compounds, vitamin, and mineral composition of various parts of the plant, particularly the leaves and seeds, are presented in this section. The trending potential of the use of M. stenopetala ingredients in plant-food formulations is also highlighted. The nutritional and bioactive composition of M. stenopetala is presented and compared with that of M. oleifera, for which a wealth of information on its chemistry, nutrient and bioactive profiles and therapeutic potential is available [12, 13].Moringa leaves, seeds, flowers, roots, and green pods are rich in macro and micro-nutrients. The leaves of M. stenopetala are popular as a staple vegetable in eastern Africa as is M. oleifera in the Indian subcontinent [21, 28, 29]. Dried Moringa leaf powder that is kept under dark conditions preserves the nutritional potency of the leaves for a long period of time [30, 31]. Dried leaves are utilized for the preparation of Moringa herbal tea and other non-alcoholic beverages that have significant health benefits [18].
Plant-Based Diet. Dietary composition of the leafFindings from various studies revealed that M. stenopetala and M. oleifera are rich in nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and bioactive compounds [32]. M. stenopetala dried leaf has a high protein content of about 28% (Figure ). The protein from the leaves of M. stenopetala is complete and contains all the essential amino acids at levels equal to or higher than those found in soybean seeds [32, 33]. Similarly, recent research conducted in Canada found that M. stenopetala leaf has high protein content and contains all the essential amino acids (personal communication).M. stenopetala leaf contains 28 and 160mg/100g of vitamin C and beta carotene, respectively [21]. Some studies have also reported the presence of other vitamins in higher amounts [21, 32]. Among many green leafy vegetables, Moringa was found to be a rich source of ß-carotene (vitamin A) and other micronutrients [34].Leaf extracts of M. stenopetala have good amounts of phenolic and flavonoid com-pounds that have high antioxidant activities [35, 36]. Habtemariam and Varghese [18] have also reported the presence of a high amount of rutin, a bioflavonoid antioxidant that could be extracted from M. stenopetala’s dried leaves.Previously published papers demonstrated that the minerals found in Moringa leaves are diverse and abundant. M. stenopetala leaves had 3363mg/100g of potas-sium, which was 3.96 times higher than in banana fruit (933mg/100g) [37]. Banana fruit is one of the foods recommended as a source of potassium and calcium [38]. M. stenopetala dried leaf is rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc but characterized by its low content of sodium [37]. M. stenopetala is nutri-ent-rich but low-calorie food and is an ideal part of a diet designed for body weight management.. Composition of M. stenopetala seedDifferent research results have reported protein (28–43%) and oil (33–41%) levels from M. stenopetala seeds. M. stenopetala seeds are a great source of protein, high-quality edible oil, and numerous other beneficial compounds [12]. Studies have shown high protein content and considerable levels of essential amino acids