Meet the editors

Dr. Rao, Professor Emeritus, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, has established a major focus on diet and health. His research focuses on the role of oxidative stress and antioxidant phytochemicals in the causation and prevention of chronic diseases, with particular emphasis on the role of carotenoids and polyphenols. His research interests also include the role of prebiotics and probiotics

in human health. He has more than 100 publications in scientific journals and several books and book chapters to his credit. He has a distinguished academic career spanning more than forty-five years. He is popularly sought by the international media to express his opinions about nutrition and health.

Dr. Leticia Rao is Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, former director of the Calcium Research Laboratory, Department of Medicine at the same university, and former staff scientist at St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario. She has a BSc in Chemistry from the University of the Philippines, an MSc in Food Science from Oregon State University, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Toronto. Her expertise is

in bone cell biology with a focus on preventing osteoporosis by studying bone cells in the laboratory and carrying out basic and clinical studies of drugs, nutritional supplements, and phytonutrients including carotenoids and polyphenols in postmenopausal women. Her research has been presented at national and international conferences and symposia and she has published extensively in peer-reviewed scientific journals. She co-authored The Bone-Building Solution and co-edited several books on phytochemicals and probiotics in human nutrition and health.

Professor Md. Ahiduzzaman, Ph.D., was born in 1972 in Bangladesh. He obtained a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Engineering from Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh, in 1993, an MSc in Energy Systems and Management from the University of Flensburg, Germany, in 2006, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Islamic University of Technology, Bangladesh, in 2011. He completed his postdoctoral

studies at the University of Alberta, Canada. He was awarded a DAAD Scholarship (Germany) and NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship (Canada). Dr. Ahiduzzaman has been researching and teaching in the field of agricultural engineering, focusing on processing of field crops, processing technology of fruits and vegetables, drying technology, renewable energy, and framework development for greenhouse gas mitigation policies in agriculture and other sectors. He has experience working in multi-organizational and interdisciplinary teams, evaluating research, and developing projects in the agricultural engineering sector.

Prof. Dr. A. K. M. Aminul Islam received a Ph.D. in Chemical and Process Engineering from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. He is currently Director (Research) of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Bangladesh. Dr. Islam is the author of 120 journal articles, 20 book chapters, and 4 books. He is an editorial board member and referee for several national and international journals. He is General Secretary

Contents

**Section 1**

**Section 2**

Health

**Section 3**

*and Livio Torta*

*and Mwanza Mulunda*

Health and Disease

*by A. Venketeshwer Rao and Leticia Rao*

*by Jinu Medhi and Mohan Chandra Kalita*

**Preface XI**

Introduction **1**

**Chapter 1 3**

Nutrient and Phytonutrient Composition of Nuts **7**

**Chapter 2 9**

**Chapter 3 21**

Fungal Contamination of Nuts **61**

**Chapter 4 63**

**Chapter 5 87**

Introductory Chapter: The Role of Nuts and Nut Products in Human

Nuts as Dietary Source of Fatty Acids and Micro Nutrients in Human

*by Giulia Mirabile, Patrizia Bella, Antonio Vella, Vincenzo Ferrantelli* 

Nutrient Composition and Aflatoxin Contamination of African Sourced

Nut Phytonutrients for Healthy Gut: Prebiotic Potential

*by Chiranjiv Pradhan, Nikhila Peter and Namitha Dileep*

Fungal Contaminants and Mycotoxins in Nuts

Peanuts and Cashew Nuts: Its Implications on Health *by Modupeade C. Adetunji, Stephen A. Akinola, Nancy Nleya* 

of the Plant Breeding and Genetics Society of Bangladesh, Seminar & Research Secretary of JICA Alumni Association of Bangladesh, and a member of several professional societies. Dr. Islam developed nineteen varieties of different crops cultivated in Bangladesh. He supervised fifty MS and three Ph.D. students. His research focuses on the development of hybrid vegetables, hybrid *Brassica napus* using a Cytoplasmic Male Sterility system, stress-tolerant rice varieties, and renewable energy research with *Jatropha curcas*. He received the BSMRAU Integrity Award for 2020–2021.

### Contents



Preface

Nuts, also referred to as "tree nuts," and peanuts are associated with good health and have always been an important part of the human diet. There has been renewed interest in understanding the reasons why nuts and peanuts, when consumed as part of a healthy diet, are beneficial in the prevention of several chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and high blood pressure. Over the past few decades, extensive research has been undertaken to study the nutritional and phytochemical composition of nuts, their mechanism of action, and the need for dietary guidelines for the consumption of nuts. At the same time, research is also being directed at the issues of fungal contamination of nuts and the associated toxicity and risk to human health. In recognition of the important role that nuts and nut products play in human health and nutrition, several original research and review articles have now been published. This book, *Nuts and Nut Products in Human Health and Nutrition*, contains chapters that address some important aspects of consuming nuts as part of a healthy diet. It is organized into four sections. Chapter 1 in Section 1, by AV Rao and LG Rao, is an introduction to the important role that nuts and nut products play in human health, their composition, including health-friendly lipids and beneficial phytochemicals, and their micronutrient composition. It points out the nature of basic, clinical, and epidemiological research that still needs to be undertaken in the future for a better understanding of the role of nuts, including peanuts, and formulation of dietary guidelines based on such research outcomes. Section 2, "Nutrient and Phytonutrient Composition of Nuts", includes two chapters: Chapter 2, "Nut Phytonutrients for Healthy Gut: Probiotic Potential," by Jinu Medhi and Mohan Chandra Kalita, and Chapter 3, "Nuts as Dietary Source of Fatty Acids and Micro Nutrients in Human Health" by Chiranjiv Pradhan, Nikhila Peter and Namitha Dileep. Together, these two chapters address the reasons why nuts and peanuts are health-friendly components of a good diet. Section 3, "Fungal Contamination of Nuts," contains Chapter 4 "Fungal Contaminants and Mycotoxins in Nuts" by Giulia Mirabile, Patrizia Bella, Antonio Vella, Vincenzo Ferrantelli and Livio Torta, and Chapter 5 "Nutrient Composition and Aflatoxin Contamination of African Sourced Peanuts and Cashew Nuts: Its Implications on Health" by Modupeade C. Adetunji, Stephen A. Akinola, Nancy Nleya and Mwanza Mulunda. Fungal contamination and production of toxic byproducts are important since they can mitigate the beneficial role that nuts play in human health. These two chapters balance out the pros and cons that need to be considered with respect to nuts. Finally, Section 4, "Genetic Improvements Towards Human Health," includes Chapter 6, "Genetic Potential and Possible Improvement of Sesamum indicum L." by Muthulakshmi Chellamuthu, Selvi Subramanian and Manonmani Swaminathan, which looks at the genetic potential for possible improvement of nuts. This chapter uses sesame seeds, though not nuts, to highlight the need for genetic research that needs to be done to improve nutritional quality

and the health beneficial properties of nuts.

 Overall, this book provides important information, authored by international authors, to health professionals, researchers, and other scientists that will be very useful in understanding the mechanisms by which nuts provide health benefits, the concern of fungal infestation of nuts with the resultant production of toxic
