Potentialities of Monodora myristica active components as functional ingredients in food formulation

•Monodora myristica has a wide range of active ingredients with promising potential applications.•The main reasons for M. myristica usage in food formulation are the volatile/essential oils found in them.•Numerous nutritious elements, including minerals and vitamins are abundant in M. myristica seeds.•Potential applications in food formulation and medicine include flavor enhancer, antimicrobial activity, antioxidant effects and anti-inflammatory effects. The main objective was to conduct an updated review on the potentialities of Monodora myristica (African nutmeg) extracts as functional ingredients in food formulation. More specifically, this study aimed to analyze the potentialities of the main active components, encapsulation, nutritional and mycochemical constituents, prebiotic, probiotic functions in the gut microbial ecosystem and safety concerns for M. myristica in food formulations. The outcomes disclosed that the main reasons for M. myristica usage are the volatile/essential oils found in them, which consist of myrcene, α-pinene, limonene, pinene, and α-phellandrene as their primary constituents. Numerous nutritious elements, including fatty acids, proteins, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and carbohydrates, are abundant in M. myristica seeds. Potential applications in food formulation and medicine include flavor enhancer, antimicrobial activity, antioxidant effects, anti-inflammatory effects, and improvement of gut health through prebiotic, probiotic, and immunomodulatory functions in the gut microbial ecosystem. African nutmeg has a wide range of active ingredients that have promising potential applications in food formulation. In order to optimize the effectiveness and potentialities of M. myristica in food formulation, it is crucial to be aware of the safety risks and should be moderately utilized.