Moringa oleifera Lam. leaves as new raw food material: A review of its nutritional composition, functional properties, and comprehensive application

Background: Moringa oleifera Lam. leaves (MOLLs) are recognised as new raw food material with various nutritional factors and phytochemical components. In recent years, a large number of studies have been conducted on deciphering the chemical composition and biological functions of MOLLs. However, the research data on MOLLs are scattered, and the future application trends are not summarised.Scope and approach: In this review, we recapitulate the nutritional and phytochemical components of MOLLs, including their nutritional components, biological factors, and functional benefits, while emphasising the safety and application of MOLLs as a new raw food material.Key findings and conclusions: Currently, research has been focused on establishing MOLLs as novel raw food material. MOLLs constitute a variety of bioactive compounds, such as phenolic, flavonoids, protein, polysaccharides, vitamins, minerals. These bioactive compounds exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour, antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-diabetic activities. As a promising and economic Chinese herbal medicine and functional food, MOLLs is widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industry. We mainly focus on summarising the findings about the nutritional components, chemical substances, and functional activities of MOLLs and discuss the practical applications of MOLLs as a new raw food material in the food and agriculture industries. Furthermore, this review provides an innovative approach for the application of MOLLs in the food industry and agriculture, discusses the current developments and problems of deep processing products of MOLLs, and provides insights into the future sustainable development options of MOLLs industries.