Fenugreek and its set of activities Essay

Anti-oxidants exert their mechanism of action by suppression the formation of reactive oxygen species either by inhibition of enzymes or by chelating trace elements.(Young et al 2001 ).
Fenugreek have antibacterial activity, according to previous researches(Reena et al 2007 ) .Fenugreek have beneficial effect in inhibiting the growth of Pseudomonas spp., E. coli, Shigella dysentiriae, and Salmonella typhi. (Dash et al 2011 )
Fenugreek seed constituents
Fenugreek seed contains 45-60% carbohydrates, 20-30% proteins high in lysine and tryptophan, pyridine alkaloids, mainly trigonelline (0.2-0.36%), choline (0.5%), amino acids, such as 4-hydroxyisoleucine (0.09%), arginine, threonin, valyn , methionine (Mehrafrain et al 2011).
Fatty Acids and oils
Fenugreek seed contains 5-10% fixed oils and 0.015% volatile oils (Sowmya et al 1999 ). These volatile oil responsible for fenugreek aroma , by using of Gas Chromatograph the following active compounds based on the fenugreek aroma detection Olfactometry diacetyl 1-Octene-3-one (Z)- 1,5-Octadiene-3-one 3-isopropyl-2-methoxypyrazine acetic acid 3-Isobutyl-2-methoxypyrazine linalool butanoic acid isovaleric acid caproic acid eugenol 3-Amino-4,5-dimethyl-3 4-dihydro-2(5H)- Furanone sotolon (Blank et al 1997)
Dietary Fibers
Fenugreek seeds contain 50% fiber (30% soluble fiber and 20% insoluble fiber) these fibers have the ability to regulate the metabolism of glucose in the digestive tract and slow the rate of postprandial glucose absorption (Raju et al 2001). Galactomannan is a major soluble fiber present in fenugreek seeds it decreases the bile salts uptake in intestine and also reduces the digestion and absorption of starch in body (Madar et al 1990 ).previous researches showed that fenugreek husk is a valuable source of dietary fiber and phenolic acids therefore, it is used as natural source of anti-oxidants. (Naidu et al 2011) .
Fenugreek gum consists of galactose and manose which derived from the endosperm of the seeds.( Youssef et al 2009 ). fenugreek gum has good water solubility due to more galactose content. Fenugreek gum is a type of soluble dietary fiber and can be incorporated in bread making also it is used for thickening, stabilizing and emulsifying food agents (Isikli et al 2005 ) .
Proteins
Fenugreek endosperm is rich in proteins including globulin, histidine, albumin and lecithin (Mathur et al 2009 ) . Previous researches reported that cooking does not affect the quality of fenugreek seed proteins.( Srinivasan 2006).
Vitamins
Fenugreek is rich in choline , Vitamins A , B1, B2, C, niacin and nicotinic acid are reported in fenugreek seed whereas germinating seeds contain pyridoxine, cyanocobalamine, calcium pantothenate, biotin and vitamin C (Leela et al 2008 ). Fenugreek leaves contain Vitamin C, calcium, -carotene , thiamine, riboflavin, nicotinic acid, folic acid.( Poole et al 2010 ) .
Minerals
Fenugreek does not contain large amount of minerals but it has some of them such as it has good amount of phosphorus and sulphur , also it contains calcum, iron and zinc (Jani et al 2009) .
Saponin
Saponins are a group of naturally occurring glycosides in plants which