J Food Biochem. 2022;00:e14431. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jfbc | 1 of 9 https://doi.org/10.1111/jfc.14431 © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Received: 14 May 2022 | Revised: 27 June 2022 | Accepted: 29 July 2022 DOI: 10.1111/jfbc.14431 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Diet supplemented with boiled unripe plantain (Musa paradisiaca) exhibited antidiabetic potentials in streptozotocin-induced Wistar rats Adekunle O. Ajiboye 1,2 | Sidiqat A. Shodehinde 2 1 West Virginia University, Animal and Nutritional Sciences Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources & Design, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA 2 Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria Correspondence Sidiqat A. Shodehinde, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Adekunle Ajasin University, P.M.B. 001, Akungba Akoko. Ondo State, Nigeria. Email: sidiqat.shodehinde@aaua.edu.ng Abstract The ameliorating effect and antidiabetic properties of diets augmented with boiled unripe plantain (20%–40%) in high fat fed/low dose of streptozotocin induced dia- betic rats in comparison with the administration of acarbose were evaluated in this study using standard methods. High fat fed/low dose of streptozotocin (25mg/kg body weight) was given to twenty-five male Wistar rats to induce diabetes leaving out 5 normal rats to serve as control. The animals were separated into five with six rats in each group and the experiment continued for 14days. Investigations on the blood glucose concentration, enzymes (α-amylase, α-glucosidase, angiotensin I con- verting enzyme), thiobarbituric reaction substance (TBARS), High-density lipoprotein- cholesterol (HDL-c), and antioxidant status were determined. The findings revealed a rise in blood glucose level and the activities of α-amylase, α-glucosidase, angiotensin I converting enzyme, thiobarbituric reaction substance (TBARS) in untreated diabetic rats in group II while a reverse was observed in diabetic rats (Group IV and V) on ex- posure to diets augmented with boiled unripe plantain. The obtained overall results in diet treated groups are similar to that of acarbose treated groups. The untreated dia- betic rats (Group II) exhibited contrary results of the biochemical assays. This finding showed that boiled unripe plantain can provide the therapeutic measures that needed to be further explored as possible future economic means of managing diabetes in developing nations. Practical Applications As diabetes has been implicated to disrupt various pathways involved in the metabo- lism of macromolecules, there are proposed adoptive methods of preventing them among which is the inhibition of starch hydrolyzing enzymes, increasing the enzy- matic antioxidant status and prevention of lipid peroxidation, Plantain by-product which is known as an inexpensive food can be prepared to manage the condition of diabetes in patients. Our former in vitro findings have revealed the bioactive contents of unripe plantain product which has been further explored in vivo to experiment is nutritional benefits. The study therefore proposes that unripe plantains, when boiled, can provide the necessary natural therapeutic measures to be considered as a poten- tial economic means of managing diabetes in underdeveloped countries.