Originating in Africa, okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) is an annual multi-use and high-value herb type of Malvaceae (also known as okra clip and Crotalaria). Also, okra is a type of vegetable crop that is rich in such nutrients as sugar, protein, minerals, vitamins, and dietary fiber . Containing quercetin, sterol, and other components with medicinal value, it is a plant that can be used as medicine and food . Therefore, it is favored by people as a new type of healthy vegetable . Okra is widely distributed and cultivated in Africa, Asia, Southern Europe, and America. Introduced to China in the early 1990s, it is currently distributed and cultivated in South China and North China . The roots, pods, flowers, and seeds of okra can be used in the treatment of spleen deficiency, fatigue, and intestinal dryness with constipation, showing such biological activities as antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-fatigue, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic activities .
As a new type of healthy vegetable, okra has its nutritional value primarily coming from its seeds. It has been reported that mature okra seeds can be roasted and ground into fine powder to be used as additives or ingredients for Turkish coffee . Round white seeds of immature okra fruits can be primarily used as fresh (or quick-frozen) food, with abundant dietary fiber, and other bioactive nutrients . Some reports have shown that okra seeds are rich in high-quality proteins and oils that are mainly composed of linoleic acids . Greek okra seeds are a potential source of edible vegetable oils. With an oil content of 15.9%–20.7%, these seeds are rich in unsaturated fatty acids essential for human nutrition . Studies have also shown that okra seeds have an oil content of around 20%–40% . Oil yields of okra seeds are closely related to the oil extraction methods that are applied . Meanwhile, okra seeds contain a wide variety of phenolic compounds, the main components of which are oligocatechins (2.5 mg/g) and flavonol derivatives (3.4 mg/g) . In vitro experiments show that the antioxidant performance of edible oils can be used as an indirect index to evaluate their quality. Tocopherols, polyphenols, and pigments are important components of natural vegetable oils . Studies have shown that okra seed powder presents a good DPPH free radical scavenging ability . Also, the antioxidant activities of okra seed oil have gradually become a hot topic of research because of their important physiological effects in resisting cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and aging.
Photo: PPO (2024) EPPO Global Database. https://gd.eppo.int
Reference: Guo, G., Xu, W., Zhang, H., Hu, X., Chen, Y., He, X., Huang, K., Ma, S., & Fu, J. (2024). Characteristics and antioxidant activities of seed oil from okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.). Food Science & Nutrition, 12, 2393–2407. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.3924
