Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum), native to southern Europe and Asia, is an annual herb with white flowers and hard, yellowish brown and angular seeds, known from ancient times, for nutritional value beside of its medicinal effects. Fenugreek seeds are rich source of gum, fiber, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins and volatile content. Due to its high content of fiber, fenugreek could be used as food stabilizer, adhesive and emulsifying agent to change food texture for some special purposes. Some evidence suggests that fenugreek may also be regarded as antidiabetic, anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, antibacterial agent, antianorexia agent, and gastric stimulant, as well as remedy for hypocholesterolemia and hypoglycemia. The present article is aimed to review the potential applications of fenugreek as a functional food and NUTRACEUTICAL agent.

Various NUTRACEUTICAL properties of olives are ascribed to their different oil compositions and diversity of their active substances. Iran is endowed with great olive diversity which deserves to be studied. Accordingly, nine minor Iranian olive varieties, i.e. Tarom (T) varieties, were studied. Characterization of these minor varieties (T10, T15, T16, T17, T18, T20, T22, T23, T24) along with 3 major Iranian and 4 Mediterranean varieties with 11 chromosomal SSR markers revealed remarkable diversity among them. Most of T varieties had oil and Total Phenolic Content (TPC) comparable to Mediterranean olives. In comparison with Mediterranean varieties, T18 and T22 had higher Oleic Acid (OlA). T24 and T18 contained the highest and the lowest Linoleic Acid (LiA), respectively. T18 exhibited the highest OlA/ LiA ratio. T24 was exceptionally phenols-rich variety followed by T20. Radical Scavenging Activities (RSA) results hardly suggested linear correlation between TPC and antioxidant capacity of the examined varieties. Nonetheless, T22 showed Phenol Antioxidant Coefficient higher than Mediterranean samples. Harvest time was influential on LiA content and the (RSA/ TPC) ratios. Considering NUTRACEUTICAL potential, some of T varieties are superior to the prevailing Iranian and Mediterranean varieties, so, they deserve to be introduced to olive improvement programs.

Objective: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is recognized as one of the most critical health issues and leading causes of death worldwide. This disease is associated with macro-vascular and micro-vascular complications. The prevention of DM and its complications is always essential. In recent years, due to the known biological properties of some foods, the tendency to consume these foods has increased. This narrative review showed the effect of cinnamon, ginseng, thyme, sesame oil, fenugreek, saffron, aloe vera, garlic, ginger, turmeric, and green tea on improving insulin sensitivity, reducing blood sugar, blood lipid, and blood pressure, and regulating metabolism. Therefore, it is suggested that these NUTRACEUTICALs could be considered in the special food formulation of diabetic patients. It seems that the anti-diabetic properties of NUTRACEUTICAL interest of diabetic persons specify their potential role in improving insulin sensitivity, lowering blood sugar, blood lipid, and blood pressure, and regulating metabolism.