Food Applications of Telfairia occidentalis as a Functional Ingredient and Nanoencapsulation as a Promising Approach toward Enhancing Food Fortification

The cucurbitaceous vegetable Telfairia occidentalis Hook. f. “Fluted pumpkin” is grown in West Africa, especially in Nigeria for its nutritious leaves and seeds. It has various industrial applications, such as food and medicine. T. occidentalis contains essential nutrients that could play a significant role in human nutrition. Based on its chemical composition and nutritional properties, it can be used to overcome malnutrition. T. occidentalis leaves and seeds are rich in phenolic compounds, minerals, vitamins, proteins, essential amino acids, and other essential phytochemicals which can play a regulatory and functional role. The leaves and seeds of this plant have also been used in different food applications. This chapter highlights the reported knowledge relevant to the use of T. occidentalis as a food fortificant and therapeutic agent based on its prominent biological activities and the presence of phytochemicals. However, conventional food fortification methods do not completely meet the functional requirements for bioactive compounds. They also have unsatisfactory flavor profiles, as well as poor stability and bioavailability. These disadvantages can be mitigated by encapsulating the bioactive components in nanoparticle-based delivery systems. Nanofood fortification has a wide range of advantages in the protection of phytochemicals through the use of an encapsulation technique, and some micronutrients that are rapidly degraded or not properly absorbed by the body can also be aided by food fortification on the nanoscale. Nanosuspensions, nanoemulsions, nanoliposomes, and cyclodextrin carriers are some of the various nanotechnology techniques that can be used for food fortification, which have been discussed in this chapter.