<i>Basella</i>- an Underutilized Green Leafy Vegetable with a Potential for Functional Food Development

Abstract

Basella alba is an underutilized green leafy vegetable predominantly grown in the Asian subcontinent. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, phenols, and antioxidants. Ferulic acid, gallic acid, caffeic acid, lutein, zeaxanthin, and β-carotene are the major bioactive compounds present in B. alba. However, their potential as ingredients for development of functional foods has not been fully explored. Extraction and encapsulation of bioactive compounds from Basella alba will help in their incorporation into foods imparting functionality to the developed foods. Therefore, it is important to explore the potential of B. alba as functional food perse or as an ingredient in various processed food products for imparting functional attributes to such products. This review, therefore aims to identify the bioactive compounds present in Basella, in addition to evaluating the nutritional and therapeutic properties of this vegetable and also appraise different methods for extraction and encapsulation of bioactive compounds present in it.