抄録
Moringa (Moringa oleifera) belongs to the genus Moringa in the family Moringaceae and is related to Brassicaceae. It is cultivated mainly in tropical and subtropical regions, and its leaves, seeds, and pods have long been used for food. The leaves are the most widely used part of the plant and are called the “miracle tree” because of their rich nutritional value and high functionality. Moringa has been cultivated around the world, including Japan, and is now available in dried leaves as moringa tea or in powdered form. Focusing on the rich nutritional value and high functionality, we have been conducting research on the application of moringa to food. First, we focused on moringa powder grown and produced in different regions, comparing the functionality of moringa powder from each region using the DPPH radical method for antioxidant evaluation. The antioxidant component in moringa powder was isolated using activity as an indicator and was found to be quercetin-3-glucoside. Quercetin glycosides contained in moringa have exhibited various functions including antioxidant activity, and the content is also reported to be relatively high. Next, as an application to food, when 5% of the flour used in the preparation of bread was replaced with moringa powder, the nutritional value and functionality were increased, but the swelling of the bread was suppressed. This suppression of swelling was found to be improved by pre-roasting the moringa powder. Sensory evaluation revealed that the taste was improved by roasting the moringa powder. In particular, moringa samples roasted at 130℃ and 170℃ were closely evaluated for taste, texture, and appearance, and those roasted at 130℃ for 20 min showed improved bloating compared to unroasted samples, while retaining the flavor and green color of moringa. The roasted powder showed higher scores for taste, aroma, appearance, texture, and overall evaluation. Furthermore, to scientifically clarify the fact that moringa powder inhibited the swelling of bread, an evaluation system using yeast activity was constructed. Using this system, quercetin-3-glucoside and kaempferol-3-glucoside were isolated from moringa powder as the components that inhibited the swelling of bread. The application of moringa in food can enhance the nutritional value and functionality, but we would like to develop a safe and secure moringa diet by substantiating the results based on scientific evidence.
