Vol. 6, Issue 12 (2017)

Author(s):
Kavita Sinha and Vikrant Khare

Abstract:
Vegetables are an important source of protective food and a part of healthy diet. They contain chemical compounds, such as carbohydrates, sugars, proteins and vitamins, which are essential to human growth and health. In fact they make up for about 20% of an average Indian meal. However, plants generally contain toxic and anti-nutrients acquired from fertilizer and pesticides and several naturally occurring chemicals. Some of these chemicals are known as secondary metabolites or anti-nutritional factors and they have been shown to be highly biologically active. Anti-nutritional factor is known to interfere with metabolic processes such that growth and bioavailability of nutrients are negatively influenced. They include saponins, alkaloids, protease inhibitors, oxalates, haemaggluttinins (lectin), cyanogens, lethogens, and goitrogen. The list is inexhaustible, some of these plant chemicals have been shown to be deleterious to health or evidently advantageous to human health, if consumed in appropriate amounts.