Development of Food Products Incorporating Dry Powdered Figs to Explore their Hypocholesterolemic Potential

Abstract

Hypercholesterolemia is one of the major risk factors in the development of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). Nowadays many non prescribed treatments have been made available for lowering the cholesterol. In this regard, traditional medicines are pursued as alternative drugs for treatment of hypercholesterolemia. So far many traditional medicines have been investigated for their therapeutic effects both in humans and in experimental animals, Fig (Ficus corica) commonly called Anjeerhave been used for several therapeutic effects such as hypoglycaemia, cancer supperesive, anthelmintic, hypotriglyceridemia and bovine papllomatosis. Canal ef a showed that chloroform extract obtained from a decoction of fig leaves improved the blood cholesterol in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Since there is paucity of data in human subjects, the present study was an endeavour to extend the findings on the effects of dry fig powder on the lipid profile of hyper- cholesterolemlc subjects; to determine the proximate composition of dry fig powder and organoleptic evaluation of food products incorporating fig powder.