**Abstract**

In recent years, seed and grain proteins with nutritional bioactivity have been studied for disease prevention and treatments. Seed and grains are key components of a healthy and balanced diet which support the protective role of bioactive proteins with nutraceutical activities. Proteins obtained from seeds can be a good source of amino acids and nutraceutical peptides that can be used for biotic functions to improve health and disease prevention. Hence, the increased consumption of seeds and grains promotes a healthy generation in future and a significant reduction in diseases. To increase the human health awareness, we must have to enlighten the importance of easily available seeds and grains in our food.

**Keywords:** Seed, grains, proteins, nutraceuticals

#### **1. Introduction**

The systematic study of protein grains prolongs back for near about 250 Y, with the separation of wheat gluten first described in 1745 [1]). "TB Osborne" father of plant protein chemistry has been carried out more methodical study of plant proteins in 1859–1929. Cereal grains provide nourishing food globally and food nutritive is essential to all living organisms for function, structure, and regulation of the body. People succeeding an herbal diet need to find no animal sources of protein to ensure they are getting enough nutrients such as Vitamins, Proteins, Minerals and Fibers to prepare their body against diseases. Grains used as protein factories to assist the Nutraceutical and Pharmaceuticals. Seeds and grains enrich in energy as well as factories of essential nutritive fatty acids, flavonoids, bioflavonoids, catechin, epicatechin, quercetin, caffeic acid, coumaric acids, cinnamic acids and many other useful compounds which are used in drug used for the treatment of diseases. Today's generation suffer from infectious, inflammatory, allergic, diabetic, carcinogenic and cardiovascular diseases. Nutraceuticals and drugs are the fastest growing area to cure diseases in humans and other diseases in animals. The production of nutritive elements for nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical applications are very important to save future [2]. Nutraceutical can be well-defined as a food or part of a food that deliver therapeutic and health

aids, with the preclusion and treatment of a disease [3]. Nutraceutical is the combination of "nutrition + pharmaceutical" in broad, are part of food that play a major role in growing and maintaining normal physiological functions that maintains people healthy [4]. Now a day's scientists are focusing on genetic engineering of crops to increase the quantity and quality of protein as a means to produce enormous drugs and vaccines, hoping that this technology can reduce costs and increase the availability of most needed pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals [5–8]. Seeds and grains-based pharmaceuticals are advantageous because the vaccinated plant tissue can be administered raw, dried, or in an encapsulated form; all forms can be stored and dispatched at room temperature [9]. The risk of contamination with pathogens from animal during production is also removed, [10], moreover seeds-based vaccines can be stored as seeds are beneficial because a lot of vaccines can be produced in very less time and storage is less of an issue because the seed is a stable form that will not degrade the nutritive part for long time. Our main goal through this chapter is to describe the nutraceuticals potential of grain and seed proteins to prevent and treat the disease with an easy and inexpensive way. In India, the week from 24 to 30 July is observed as Protein week to for awareness about the importance of protein in our diet. When the word protein comes to hear, usually muscle or meat comes in our mind but the farmers gold grains are also very important source of proteins. "National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau" Reported in 2017, that consumption of protein in urban Indians was below the recommended dietary allowance, they have taken only 89.8 percent of the recommended amount. In a vegetarian Indian diet, around half of your protein comes from cereals, so this gap could be spanned by including protein-rich diet daily. The comparative protein concentration in seed and grains enlightens the importance and uniqueness of cereals and legumes as nutritive dietary supplements as 3 ounce of chicken contains 20 g protein but 3 ounce of beef contains 21 g of protein, 1 egg contains 6 g of protein, 1 cup of black beans contain 15 g, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter contains 8 g Half a block of tofu contains 18 g protein [11, 24]. When cereals and pulses are combined they can expressively mend the quality of protein in your diet.

**2.1 Legume seeds**

*Role of grain proteins in Human body.*

**Figure 1.**

The nutritional composition of legume proteins makes it different and useful in food products. Berman et al. [13], in his book chapter focused on the health benefits of legume seeds as potential nutraceutical and also explained the prevention and treatment of certain diseases such as cardiac diseases, diabetes, gastrointestinal infections, obesity, cancer, skin related problems using legumes in diet. Legume seeds also contain resistant proteins that play an active role in human health [14]. Legume seeds contain enzyme inhibitors like alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) for which it can be used as a nutraceutical's molecule. Information on legumes grain, presented by FAO (1966), shows consumption to be high in many countries. The popularity of legumes is based on many factors, including their capacity to fix nitrogen to produce a grain containing a high level of protein of a quality which complements the inadequacies of cereal protein. All legume seed proteins are relatively low in sulphur-containing amino acids and tryptophan, but the amounts of another essential amino acid, lysine, are much greater than in cereal grains [15]. Legume seeds such as pea and beans contain 18– 20% protein and lupin, soyabean contains 30–35% protein. Variable proteins in legumes shows antifungal, anti-viral, anti-HIV and anti-diabeteic properties, also these proteins are precursors of amino acids which are beneficial to human health [16]. The proteins present in *vigna species*, show anti-fungal and anti-viral activities.

*Nutraceutical Potential of Seed and Grain Proteins in Health Promotion*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96287*

Ground beans lectin acts as hemagglutinating agent due to presence of

ents like antioxidants and fibers (**Figure 2**).

**2.2 Cereals**

**21**

polygalacturonic acid and also curative agent of Hepatoma (HepG2), Leukemia (L1210) and Leukemia (M1). Presence of all these special and beneficial properties makes them excellent drugs for the treatment of AIDS with no harmful effects as compare to synthetic drugs [17]. Beans, chickpeas, lentils, tofu and low-fat dairy products are also good sources of protein, as well as other health-enhancing nutri-

Grains and seeds, provide not only the major portion of the energy for human populations throughout the world, but also play an important role of nutritive and pharmaceutical carriers. These are filled with nutrients vitamins, proteins, minerals, fibers and essential trace elements which grow nutraceutical values and pharmaceutical applications. To increase the human health awareness, we must have to enlighten the importance of easily available seeds and grains in our food. The cereal grains like rice, wheat and corn are staple foods in several parts of the world.

#### **2. Applications of seed proteins**

There are various types of seeds such as legumes, cereals, vegetables-fruit seeds and oilseeds which enlightens the era of health with vegetarian diet. Seeds are preferred over these systems because they store lots of protein in a relatively small volume and provide a stable environment that promotes protein assemblage and inhibits degradation, thus facilitating long-term storage [8, 11]. For example, antibodies accumulate at high levels in seeds and endure stable for several years with no loss of activity when preserved at room temperatures [12]. In practical terms, this means that cereal seeds containing pharmaceutical nutrients can be stored and disseminated in countries lacking a reliable cold chain. A relatively high protein concentration is achieved because most seeds are small and compact with a simple proteome, which also reduces the number of competing proteins released during processing. Proteins are crucial to all living organisms for function, structure, and regulation of the body. Formation of protein in a cell starts with DNA transcribing into RNA, and RNA translating into proteins. Amino acids (AA) make proteins and are arranged in different combinations and this arrangements and lengths of AA determine the function of the protein, e.g. hormones, enzymes, and antibodies. The given **Figure 1** shows the role of grain proteins in human body in energy production and precursors of other useful molecules.

*Nutraceutical Potential of Seed and Grain Proteins in Health Promotion DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96287*

**Figure 1.** *Role of grain proteins in Human body.*

aids, with the preclusion and treatment of a disease [3]. Nutraceutical is the combination of "nutrition + pharmaceutical" in broad, are part of food that play a major role in growing and maintaining normal physiological functions that maintains people healthy [4]. Now a day's scientists are focusing on genetic engineering of crops to increase the quantity and quality of protein as a means to produce enormous drugs and vaccines, hoping that this technology can reduce costs and increase the availability of most needed pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals [5–8]. Seeds and grains-based pharmaceuticals are advantageous because the vaccinated plant tissue can be administered raw, dried, or in an encapsulated form; all forms can be stored and dispatched at room temperature [9]. The risk of contamination with pathogens from animal during production is also removed, [10], moreover seeds-based vaccines can be stored as seeds are beneficial because a lot of vaccines can be produced in very less time and storage is less of an issue because the seed is a stable form that will not degrade the nutritive part for long time. Our main goal through this chapter is to describe the nutraceuticals potential of grain and seed proteins to prevent and treat the disease with an easy and inexpensive way. In India, the week from 24 to 30 July is observed as Protein week to for awareness about the importance of protein in our diet. When the word protein comes to hear, usually muscle or meat comes in our mind but the farmers gold grains are also very important source of proteins. "National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau" Reported in 2017, that consumption of protein in urban Indians was below the recommended dietary allowance, they have taken only 89.8 percent of the recommended amount. In a vegetarian Indian diet, around half of your protein comes from cereals, so this gap could be spanned by including protein-rich diet daily. The comparative protein concentration in seed and grains enlightens the importance and uniqueness of cereals and legumes as nutritive dietary supplements as 3 ounce of chicken contains 20 g protein but 3 ounce of beef contains 21 g of protein, 1 egg contains 6 g of protein, 1 cup of black beans contain 15 g, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter contains 8 g Half a block of tofu contains 18 g protein [11, 24]. When cereals and pulses are combined they can expressively mend the

There are various types of seeds such as legumes, cereals, vegetables-fruit seeds

and oilseeds which enlightens the era of health with vegetarian diet. Seeds are preferred over these systems because they store lots of protein in a relatively small volume and provide a stable environment that promotes protein assemblage and inhibits degradation, thus facilitating long-term storage [8, 11]. For example, antibodies accumulate at high levels in seeds and endure stable for several years with no loss of activity when preserved at room temperatures [12]. In practical terms, this means that cereal seeds containing pharmaceutical nutrients can be stored and disseminated in countries lacking a reliable cold chain. A relatively high protein concentration is achieved because most seeds are small and compact with a simple proteome, which also reduces the number of competing proteins released during processing. Proteins are crucial to all living organisms for function, structure, and regulation of the body. Formation of protein in a cell starts with DNA transcribing into RNA, and RNA translating into proteins. Amino acids (AA) make proteins and are arranged in different combinations and this arrangements and lengths of AA determine the function of the protein, e.g. hormones, enzymes, and antibodies. The given **Figure 1** shows the role of grain proteins in human body in energy production

quality of protein in your diet.

*Grain and Seed Proteins Functionality*

**2. Applications of seed proteins**

and precursors of other useful molecules.

**20**
