Nutraceutical Potential of Rice Bean

Pulses possess excellent nutritional profile with low glycemic index, low cholesterol and fats, considerable amounts of carbohydrates, and appreciable levels of vitamins and minerals. In addition to being an explicit source of nutrients, grain legumes also provide many bioactive compounds having beneficial metabolic and/or physiological effects on the body. These bioactive compounds are also known as nutraceutical compounds (Siddhuraju and Becker 2007). The term “nutraceutical” was coined by Stephen DeFelice in the year 1989 and can be defined as “a food (or part of a food) that provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention and/or treatment of diseases”. Simply the nutraceuticals are bioactive compounds in foods that provide health benefits including prevention, protection, and treatment of diseases (Belem 1999). In view of their synergistic medicinal value, economical status, and no side effects, the nutraceuticals compounds have catch the eye of food nutritionist around the world during the last few decades as a potential substitute of present-day medicines (Raskin et al. 2002). The potential health benefits of nutraceuticals compounds are likely due to complex biochemical and cellular interactions which together promote overall health of an individual (Dillard and German 2000). The beneficial health promotion effects and increasing health consciousness of the people have been resulted in the rapid growth of nutraceutical industry.