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Nigella (Nigella sativa) Seed

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Oilseeds: Health Attributes and Food Applications

Abstract

There are several conventional oilseeds which are used to obtain edible oil such as soybean oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, etc. However, few are nonconventional sources that play a crucial role in human health. Nigella sativa is one of the nonconventional oilseeds, which contains more than 30% (98.5% is fixed oil, 1.5% essential oil) oil. Fixed oil of nigella seed contains linoleic acid (48–62%) followed by oleic acid (19–25%) and limited amount of saturated fatty acids (arachidonic and eicosenoic acid), while the essential oil (volatile oil) contains a number of bioactive constitutes including thymoquinone (38.23%), p-cymene (28.61%), longifolene (5.4%), and 4-isopropyl-9-methoxy-1-methyl-1-cyclohexane (5.8%). Apart from oil, Nigella sativa seed also contains high levels of protein (up to 26%), dietary fiber, and micronutrients. A wide variation also exists in the nutritional value including minerals and vitamins of Nigella seeds owing to variation in growing conditions, region, climate, etc. Bioactive constituents of Nigella seeds exhibit strong health benefits including antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antifungal activities. The present chapter covers the nutritional value, bioactive compounds, health benefits, and food uses of Nigella sativa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Food Chemistry Division, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India

    Paras Sharma & T. Longvah

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  1. Paras Sharma
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  2. T. Longvah
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Correspondence to Paras Sharma .

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  1. Department of Dairy Technology, Mansinhbhai Institute of Dairy and Food Technology, Mehsana, Gujarat, India

    Beenu Tanwar

  2. Department of Dairy Chemistry, Mansinhbhai Institute of Dairy and Food Technology, Mehsana, Gujarat, India

    Ankit Goyal

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Sharma, P., Longvah, T. (2021). Nigella (Nigella sativa) Seed. In: Tanwar, B., Goyal, A. (eds) Oilseeds: Health Attributes and Food Applications. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4194-0_13

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