Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Technologia Alimentaria

There is growing evidence that plant seeds such as jackfruit offer myriad nutritional, livelihood, and health benefits to humans and animals which could be further harnessed in sustainable practices such as farming and human health. However, most of the seeds are discarded and wasted and little research has been done to understand the phytochemicals therein and the nutritive values that seeds offer. As a result, vital chemicals are lost, and their potential for value addition is reduced. Our study contributed to understanding this by employing a non-systematic literature review method where we sourced 219 documents (mainly articles related to plants, seeds, and phytochemicals) and these were sourced from five (5) digital databases: Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed, ResearchGate, and Google Scholar. Our study contributes to scholarship by systematically gathering and synthesizing scholarly literature on 11 tropical seed varieties to analyze the various sustainable applications of phytochemicals and nutritive components found in underutilized seeds such as the Indian almond, tamarind, papaya, mango, pumpkin, Indian gooseberry, custard apple, lemon, as well as shells from cashew nuts, and coconuts and the phytochemicals therein such as phenolics, saponins, alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, anthraquinone glycosides, and nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Studies have reported that underutilized seeds could offer substantial potential in the food, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries. Metabolites isolated from these seeds have been employed as colourants, preservatives, flavourings, and nutraceuticals, offering health advantages beyond basic nutrition. Their anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antibacterial, and antispasmodic qualities have drawn significant attention in the pharmaceutical industry. Additionally, they have demonstrated their potential in agriculture as antiparasitic, insecticidal, and antifungal agents. Hence, the compilation of information on the uses of underutilized seeds is essential to set a path to sustainable and innovative solutions. By doing so, waste would be minimized and their potential would be realized.