Exploring the nutritional profiling and health benefits of Palmyra haustorium (Palmyra palm)

The Palmyra tree has its own cultural, nutritional, and medicinal values from ancient times. Every part of the tree is useful either in its native form or a modified form, though the seeds is generally neglected by people as a waste and are not utilized. The current study is conducted with the germinated seed embryo of Asian Palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer) termed as Palmyra haustorium (PH). The nutritional, phytochemical, and nutraceutical aspects were evaluated to explore the pharmacological significance of three different samples prepared from Palmyra haustorium (PH) i.e., Palmyra haustorium powder (PHP), Palmyra haustorium milk (PHM) and Palmyra haustorium milk extracted cake powder (PHMCP). The PHP is found to be superior in all nutritional aspects compared to other samples analyzed in the study. Proximate analysis of PH samples has shown that it is rich in carbohydrates, protein, and fiber but negligible in fat while PHMCP is a greater source of fiber content. Mineral analysis has shown that PHP is rich in Potassium and Phosphorus, moderate in Calcium and Sodium levels, whereas PHMCP is rich in Iron. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) analysis showed the presence of different phenolic compounds like Gallic acid and chlorogenic acid in all PH samples; similarly various phytochemicals such as Clindamycin, Sucrose, Hexadecanoic acid, Myristic acid were present in these samples. Functional groups present in samples were identified as aldehydes, primary amines, alkanes were carried out by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results depict that the germinated seed embryo of Palmyra palm is rich in macro and micronutrients that act as nutraceuticals in enhancing the human health and well-being. Also these products may help in mitigating the effects of malnutrition, prevalent among the vulnerable population and PHM can be an alternate nutrient for individuals susceptible to digest lactose.