Open AccessCaryota urens: value addition, nutritional and medicinal values
Author(s) -
P.A.B.N. Perumpuli,
S. M. S. J. M. Singharathne,
I.P. Wanninaika
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
food research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.218
H-Index - 7
ISSN - 2550-2166
DOI - 10.26656/fr.2017.6(2).200
Subject(s) - jaggery , food science , sugar , tannin , saponin , traditional medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , horticulture , chemistry , biology , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
Caryota urens which is commonly known as Kithul, is a multipurpose and underutilizedpalm mainly distributed in Asia. Due to its numerous applications, it has been consideredan important plant that ensures the livelihood of the village people in Sri Lanka. Thus, thisarticle reviews the nutritional and medicinal values of kithul palm and its value-addedproducts. Kithul sap is widely used in the production of kithul treacle and jaggery due toits high amount of sugar content. Kithul seed oil is high in palmitic and oleic acid and is agood source of biofuels. Kithul fruit has skin-irritating nature due to the presence of oxalicacid, and also it contains anti-nutritional substances such as phytate, tannin and saponin.Different parts of Kithul palm such as leaves, flowers, fruit, sap is rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anti-diabetic properties due to the existence offlavonoids, glycosides like phytochemicals. Low gelatinization temperature has identifiedKithul flour as a good gelling agent, stabilizer and thickener. Owning to its low GlycemicIndex, kithul flour has become beneficial for people suffering from diabetics. Thus, valueadded products like biscuits, noodles, bread, muffin, rotti, porridge, dessert, yoghurt areidentified as potential products that must be commercialized with more investigations.