Nutritional composition, fatty acid profile, phytochemistry and evaluation of the effects of Carya illinoinensis on diabetes

Summary The increase in chronic diseases has arisen interest to search for alternative treatments so that people can improve their quality of life. Thus, Carya illinoinensis is the subject of the present work which aims at determining whether it has antidiabetic activity. The plant was collected and its nuts were separated from their peels, dried and grinded and incorporated into the feed, in concentration of 6% and 10%, for the treatment of animals. The centesimal composition of this diet was also determined. From the nut was also obtained the fixed oil, for the profile of fatty acids, and the 70% hydroethanolic extract for the phytochemical analysis. The results have shown that species presents hypoglycaemic effect, high fat composition of unsaturated fatty acids and the presence of some phenolic compounds, directly related to the antidiabetic activity. Therefore, the specie presente benefits that can contribute to the binomial diet/health. The nuts of the species Carya illinoinensis were evaluated for the fatty acid profile by HPLC and for the hypoglycemic effect in diabetes mellitus through the treatment of male Wistar rats.