Abstract

Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn, commonly known as lotus, is a genus comprising perennial and rhizomatous aquatic plants, found throughout Asia and Australia. This review aimed to cover the biosynthesis of flavonoids, alkaloids, and lipids in plants and their types in different parts of the lotus. This review also examined the physiological functions of bioactive compounds in lotus and the extracts from different organs of the lotus plant. The structures and identities of flavonoids, alkaloids, and lipids in different parts of lotus as well as their biosynthesis were illustrated and updated. In traditional medicine systems and previous scientific studies, bioactive compounds and the extracts of lotus have been applied to treat inflammation, cancer, liver disease, Alzheimer's disease, etc. We suggest future studies be focused on the standardization of the extract of lotus and their pharmacological mechanisms as drugs or functional foods. This review is important for lotus-based food processing and application.

Zhao Xu, Ph.D., is an engineer, mainly engaged in research on extraction methods of functional ingredients in food, chemical structure analysis of bioactive substances, physio-pharmacological mechanisms, and toxicology. His research is on the analysis of the content and physiological activity of functional ingredients such as various fats, flavonoids, and alkaloids in food using GC-MS, HPLC-MS, and NMR and on the mechanism of action of functional ingredients in food. He has published 11 papers and participated in 4 patents.

Source：

The official website of Dalian University of Technology Panjin Campus

The official website of Food Chemistry