title: Moringa oleifera Seeds and Oil: Characteristics and Uses for Human Health.
abstract: Moringa oleiferaseeds are a promising resource for food and non-food applications, due to their content of monounsaturated fatty acids with a high monounsaturated/saturated fatty acids (MUFA/SFA) ratio, sterols and tocopherols, as well as proteins rich in sulfated amino acids. The rapid growth ofMoringatrees in subtropical and tropical areas, even under conditions of prolonged drought, makes this plant a reliable resource to enhance the nutritional status of local populations and, if rationalized cultivation practices are exploited, their economy, given that a biodiesel fuel could be produced from a source not in competition with human food crops. Despite the relatively diffuse use ofMoringaseeds and their oil in traditional medicine, no pharmacological activity study has been conducted on humans. Some encouraging evidence, however, justifies new efforts to obtain clear and definitive information on the benefits to human health arising from seed consumption. A critical review of literature data concerning the composition ofMoringaoil has set in motion a plan for future investigations. Such investigations, using the seeds and oil, will focus on cultivation conditions to improve plant production, and will study the health effects on human consumers ofMoringaseeds and their oil.
authors.affiliation: International Center for the Assessment of Nutritional Status (ICANS), University of Milan, Via Sandro Botticelli 21, 20133 Milan, Italy. alessandro.leone1@unimi.it.|Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of Milan, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy. alessandro.leone1@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroenergy (DISAA), University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy. alberto.spada@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spada
authors.affiliation: International Center for the Assessment of Nutritional Status (ICANS), University of Milan, Via Sandro Botticelli 21, 20133 Milan, Italy. alberto.battezzati@unimi.it.|Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of Milan, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy. alberto.battezzati@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Battezzati
authors.affiliation: Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of Milan, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy. alberto.schiraldi@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schiraldi
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroenergy (DISAA), University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy. junior.aristil@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Junior
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aristil
authors.affiliation: International Center for the Assessment of Nutritional Status (ICANS), University of Milan, Via Sandro Botticelli 21, 20133 Milan, Italy. simona.bertoli@unimi.it.|Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of Milan, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy. simona.bertoli@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bertoli
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels / Q000032:analysis*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D035264:Flowers; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D029588:Moringa oleifera / Q000378:metabolism*; D010840:Phytosterols / Q000032:analysis; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018517:Plant Roots; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D024505:Tocopherols / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D005227:Fatty Acids; D010840:Phytosterols; D010936:Plant Extracts; D010938:Plant Oils; D024505:Tocopherols
keywords: Moringa oleifera; human health; oil; pharmacology; phytochemical compounds; seeds