Harnessing the benefits of seed oils: a comprehensive study on their role in functional foods

Abstract There has been a growing interest in functional foods in recent years to improve health and boost immunity, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, which reflects their significant role in promoting health and preventing various diseases, especially metabolic disorders. This study investi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Marwa A. Kamel, Amira A. Gamal, Sayeda A. Abdelhamid, Marwa M. El-Said, Tamer M. El-Messery, Hamdy A. Zahran
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-05-01
Series:AMB Express
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13568-025-01875-9
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849687991443783680
author Marwa A. Kamel
Amira A. Gamal
Sayeda A. Abdelhamid
Marwa M. El-Said
Tamer M. El-Messery
Hamdy A. Zahran
author_facet Marwa A. Kamel
Amira A. Gamal
Sayeda A. Abdelhamid
Marwa M. El-Said
Tamer M. El-Messery
Hamdy A. Zahran
author_sort Marwa A. Kamel
collection DOAJ
description Abstract There has been a growing interest in functional foods in recent years to improve health and boost immunity, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, which reflects their significant role in promoting health and preventing various diseases, especially metabolic disorders. This study investigated the antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticoagulant, and prebiotic activities of six different oils: Calotropis procera oil (CPO), Chia seed oil (CSO), Moringa oil (MO), Neem oil (NO), Black seed oil (BSO), and Wheat germ oil (WGO) and their potential applications in health and nutrition. The DPPH and ABTS assays were used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of these oils. A good diffusion assay and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) method were used to investigate the antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria and fungi of human interest. Also, the prebiotic activities of oils were tested on three probiotic strains of Lactobacillus to evaluate their role in promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria against the pathogenic E. coli. Furthermore, the haematological effect of these oils was investigated in vitro through measuring their anticoagulant, and Fibrinolytic activity. The results demonstrated that DPPH assay revealed that CPO and WGO exhibited the highest antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 15.2 µg/mL and 18.7 µg/mL, respectively, while BSO showed the least activity with an IC50 of 45.3 µg/mL. Antimicrobial activity, assessed using inhibition zone diameters, showed that CPO had the strongest effect against Staphylococcus aureus with a zone of 22 mm, followed by CSO at 19 mm. In terms of anticoagulant activity, CSO demonstrated the most potent fibrinolytic effect with a clot lysis percentage of 78%, while MO exhibited weaker activity at 35%. Prebiotic testing revealed that individual oils had limited effects on Lactobacillus growth, but a synergistic blend enhanced growth by 25% compared to controls. Overall, this study highlights the diverse health benefits of these oils and their potential as functional food ingredients that could contribute to improved health.
format Article
id doaj-art-0a125f417c32404f81dda84750faefc3
institution DOAJ
issn 2191-0855
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher SpringerOpen
record_format Article
series AMB Express
spelling doaj-art-0a125f417c32404f81dda84750faefc32025-08-20T03:22:11ZengSpringerOpenAMB Express2191-08552025-05-0115111610.1186/s13568-025-01875-9Harnessing the benefits of seed oils: a comprehensive study on their role in functional foodsMarwa A. Kamel0Amira A. Gamal1Sayeda A. Abdelhamid2Marwa M. El-Said3Tamer M. El-Messery4Hamdy A. Zahran5Environmental Virology Lab, Water Pollution Research Department, Environment and Climate Change Research Institute, National Research CentreChemistry of Natural and Microbial Products Department, Pharmaceutical and Drug Industries Research Institute, National Research CentreMicrobial Biotechnology Department, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research CentreDairy Department, Food Industries and Nutrition Research Institute, National Research CentreDairy Department, Food Industries and Nutrition Research Institute, National Research CentreFats and Oils Department, Food Industries and Nutrition Research Institute, National Research CentreAbstract There has been a growing interest in functional foods in recent years to improve health and boost immunity, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, which reflects their significant role in promoting health and preventing various diseases, especially metabolic disorders. This study investigated the antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticoagulant, and prebiotic activities of six different oils: Calotropis procera oil (CPO), Chia seed oil (CSO), Moringa oil (MO), Neem oil (NO), Black seed oil (BSO), and Wheat germ oil (WGO) and their potential applications in health and nutrition. The DPPH and ABTS assays were used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of these oils. A good diffusion assay and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) method were used to investigate the antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria and fungi of human interest. Also, the prebiotic activities of oils were tested on three probiotic strains of Lactobacillus to evaluate their role in promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria against the pathogenic E. coli. Furthermore, the haematological effect of these oils was investigated in vitro through measuring their anticoagulant, and Fibrinolytic activity. The results demonstrated that DPPH assay revealed that CPO and WGO exhibited the highest antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 15.2 µg/mL and 18.7 µg/mL, respectively, while BSO showed the least activity with an IC50 of 45.3 µg/mL. Antimicrobial activity, assessed using inhibition zone diameters, showed that CPO had the strongest effect against Staphylococcus aureus with a zone of 22 mm, followed by CSO at 19 mm. In terms of anticoagulant activity, CSO demonstrated the most potent fibrinolytic effect with a clot lysis percentage of 78%, while MO exhibited weaker activity at 35%. Prebiotic testing revealed that individual oils had limited effects on Lactobacillus growth, but a synergistic blend enhanced growth by 25% compared to controls. Overall, this study highlights the diverse health benefits of these oils and their potential as functional food ingredients that could contribute to improved health.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13568-025-01875-9Antioxidant activityAntimicrobialAnticoagulantFixed oilsPrebioticHealth benefits
spellingShingle Marwa A. Kamel
Amira A. Gamal
Sayeda A. Abdelhamid
Marwa M. El-Said
Tamer M. El-Messery
Hamdy A. Zahran
Harnessing the benefits of seed oils: a comprehensive study on their role in functional foods
AMB Express
Antioxidant activity
Antimicrobial
Anticoagulant
Fixed oils
Prebiotic
Health benefits
title Harnessing the benefits of seed oils: a comprehensive study on their role in functional foods
title_full Harnessing the benefits of seed oils: a comprehensive study on their role in functional foods
title_fullStr Harnessing the benefits of seed oils: a comprehensive study on their role in functional foods
title_full_unstemmed Harnessing the benefits of seed oils: a comprehensive study on their role in functional foods
title_short Harnessing the benefits of seed oils: a comprehensive study on their role in functional foods
title_sort harnessing the benefits of seed oils a comprehensive study on their role in functional foods
topic Antioxidant activity
Antimicrobial
Anticoagulant
Fixed oils
Prebiotic
Health benefits
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s13568-025-01875-9
work_keys_str_mv AT marwaakamel harnessingthebenefitsofseedoilsacomprehensivestudyontheirroleinfunctionalfoods
AT amiraagamal harnessingthebenefitsofseedoilsacomprehensivestudyontheirroleinfunctionalfoods
AT sayedaaabdelhamid harnessingthebenefitsofseedoilsacomprehensivestudyontheirroleinfunctionalfoods
AT marwamelsaid harnessingthebenefitsofseedoilsacomprehensivestudyontheirroleinfunctionalfoods
AT tamermelmessery harnessingthebenefitsofseedoilsacomprehensivestudyontheirroleinfunctionalfoods
AT hamdyazahran harnessingthebenefitsofseedoilsacomprehensivestudyontheirroleinfunctionalfoods