Jamun (Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels): The conventional underutilized multifunctional plant-an exotic gleam into its food and functional significance

Jamun is a valuable therapeutic plant in India and is also referred to as Black Jamun while, all the plant parts, i. e., leaves, bark, fruit, roots, and seeds, have therapeutic applications. The fruits are perishable seasonal berries containing the pulp and are processed into several value-added products like health drinks, juices, squashes, jellies, and wine leaving behind kernels as a significant waste. The kernels are not only rich in carbohydrates, protein, minerals, and crude fibers but also contain a substantial variety of biogenic phytochemicals with ver-satile applications in both the food and nonfood industries. The enormous functional properties of these bioactive compounds get well-reported while the plant parts are used to produce a variety of traditional medicines with antioxidants, anti-diabetic, anti-pyretic, nephroprotective, and anti-diarrheal activities. Amongst all, the anti-diabetic properties are the most promising and explored as the seeds contain jambosin, alkaloid, and anti-mellin or jambolin glycosides, which impede the diastatic starch to sugar conversion. The plant has a long history of therapeutic applications with limited documented evidence to support its use. Health-conscious people often seek healthy diets loaded with natural substances with the highest functional properties, which has resulted in increased consumption of Jamun fruits in the recent past. Thus, there is a need to evolve, establish and document the traditional medicinal use of the Jamun with strong scientific rationales to outspread its con-sumption further. Therefore, the present era demands scientific intervention to explore this plant for its utili-zation in the food and pharmacy industry.

Automated summary

Jamun is a valuable therapeutic plant in India with various parts of the plant having therapeutic applications. The fruits are processed into different products, while the kernels contain numerous bioactive compounds with versatile applications. The plant has several traditional medicinal uses, especially in the treatment of diabetes. There is a need for scientific research to explore its potential in the food and pharmacy industry.