Antioxidant values and other nutritional components of the North Indian vegetables

ALIGARH, January 24: Dr M. Masroor A. Khan, Reader, Department of Botany, AMU, Aligarh was awarded with a research project sponsored by the Council of Science & Technology, UP, Lucknow last year. The project aimed at studying the antioxidant values and other nutritional components of the North Indian vegetables. Antioxidants protect us against diseases and ageing, therefore are important tools in gaining and preserving health. The work of the project is underway with the help of a Research Assistant, Mr. Tariq Aftab and the results obtained so far are very promising. The results indicate that the vegetables evaluated may provide a potential source of dietary antioxidant and therefore their consumption should be encouraged. The antioxidant values are high in vegetables such as beetroot (chukandar), spinach (paalak), cabbage (Phoolgobhi) , ripe tomatoes (tamatar) and gradually decrease on boiling or cooking. But surprisingly, on boiling or cooking tomatoes, the antioxidant property of them rose up to a particular extent.

Cooking of food is an important factor that has impact on antioxidant capacity. Some vegetables are commonly eaten cooked (potato, pea, cabbage, brinjal etc.) while others are consumed raw or cooked (onion, carrot, radish, tomato etc.). Therefore, it is the need of the hour to develop the methods which can provide the protection of antioxidant values of the vegetables from heating. According to Dr. Khan the research is in progress in the same line.

Dr. Masroor A. Khan is also carrying another interesting research project on increasing the medicinal values of some essential oil-­bearing medicinal plants through a safe technique of gamma radiation. This project is sponsored by Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai.