Nutritional and functional profile of carob bean (Ceratonia siliqua): a comprehensive review

• Published in: International journal of food properties Vol. 26; no. 1; pp. 389 - 413
• Main Authors: Basharat, Zunaira, Afzaal, Muhammad, Saeed, Farhan, Islam, Fakhar, Hussain, Muzzamal, Ikram, Ali, Pervaiz, Muhammad Usama, Awuchi, Chinaza Godswill
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis 22.09.2023; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Acid production; Africa; antioxidants; Asia; Beans; bioactive compounds; carob; carob bean; Ceratonia siliqua; Cosmetics; Drought resistance; drought tolerance; drugs; Food industry; fruits; Functional profile; lactic acid; locust bean gum; Medicinal plants; Natural products; nutrient content; nutritional composition; Oxidants; pulp; stabilizers; sugar content; therapeutics; thickeners; Asia; Africa
• ISSN: 1094-2912; 1532-2386; 1532-2386
• DOI: 10.1080/10942912.2022.2164590

Carob (Ceratonia siliqua) is one of Asia and Africa's popular nutritional and medicinal crops. This unique plant has an outstanding functional properties and nutritional profile. Carob has high sugar content, drought resistance and is very economical. Carob fruit consists of pulp and seed that are rich sources of different bioactive components. Carob has wide applications in various industries (food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics) as an anti-oxidant, thickener, stabilizer, lactic acid production and emulsions. The trend of moving toward natural products further highlights the use of carob in different fields due to its excellent nutritional and therapeutic profile. Carob bean gum is widely used in the food industry. The current review has highlighted the nutritional composition, bioactive profile, functional properties, and recent findings on the subject.