Abstract:
Unconventional and underutilized flours are rich sources of phytochemicals compared
to refined wheat flour. Phytochemicals are key secondary metabolites inhibiting
digestive enzymes like α-amylase and pancreatic lipase, crucial in glucose and
triglyceride absorption. Replacing refined wheat flour with these unconventional flours
may offer a natural alternative for managing hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia without
the side effects associated with synthetic drugs. This study explores the antidiabetic and
antiobesity activities of flours from Jaggery palm (Caryota urens), Palmyra tuber
(Borassus flabellifer), Defatted Coconut (Cocos nucifera), Waterlily seed (Nymphaea
lotus), Cycad seed (Cycas circinalis), and Jackfruit seed (Artocarpus heterophyllus),
comparing them with refined wheat flour. The inhibitory properties of refined wheat and
underutilized flour extract against α-amylase and pancreatic lipase were evaluated using
soluble starch and p-nitrophenyl butyrate (p-NPB) as substrates, respectively. Synthetic
inhibitors Acarbose and Orlistat were used as positive controls for the α-amylase and
lipase inhibitory assays. All analyses were performed in triplicate and compared using
Tukey‟s test. All unconventional flours exhibited significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) α-
amylase inhibitory activity compared to refined wheat flour, with waterlily seed flour
showing the highest activity (2.88 ± 0.27) followed by flours from Cycas circinalis
(12.07 ± 0.16), Jackfruit seed (15.57 ± 0.14), Jaggery palm (25.26 ± 0.22), Coconut
(27.47 ± 2.17), and Palmyra (33.29 ± 1.52). Lipase inhibitory activity of the flours
ranged from 46 mg/ml to 21 mg/ml, with Palmyra (23.50 ± 7.62), Defatted Coconut
(21.04 ± 5.42), Waterlily (28.49 ± 4.09), and Jackfruit seed (26.88 ± 1.42) showing
significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher activity than refined wheat flour. Jaggary Palm (44.7 9±
0.91) and Cycas circinalis flours (46.96 ± 1.08) had lower (P ≤ 0.05) inhibitory activity
than refined wheat flour. Overall, all flour extracts except waterlily seed flour exhibited
weaker α-amylase and lipase inhibition than the synthetic drugs. While waterlily seed
flour showed α-amylase activity comparable to Acarbose, its lipase inhibition was
inferior to Orlistat.
