Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-020-00419-y ORIGINAL PAPER Nutraceutical potential of North‑West Himalayan spices Allium stracheyi and Angelica glauca and their comparison with commonly used spices Vasudha Agnihotri 1  · Sofya Anjum 1  · Smita Rana 1 Received: 6 September 2019 / Accepted: 10 February 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020 Abstract Proximate and mineral composition, phytochemical content, antinutrient content, and antioxidant activities of Himalayan spices have been analyzed for estimating their nutraceutical potential and compared with other commonly used spices. For understanding the closeness among the spices, factor analysis, and cluster analysis was carried out. The Himalayan spices were found rich in important nutraceutical components and equivalent to other commercially available spices. Allium stracheyi has shown far proximity, and Angelica glauca has shown proximity with the rest of the spices except Syzygium aromaticum and Curcuma longa. As the Himalayan spices have high nutraceutical potential, so can be used as nutraceutical as well as for fortifcation of food. Keywords Himalaya · Spice · Phytochemical · Antioxidant activity · Mineral · Nutraceutical Introduction Spices are an integral part of the food system throughout the world, mainly used for enhancing the taste. Nowadays, peo- ple are more attracted towards the spices due to nutraceutical potential [1, 2]. These are generally used in minimal quanti- ties in comparison to the main ingredients of food, but due to the presence of various types of phytochemicals, spices are capable of increasing the nutraceutical value of the prepared food [3, 4]. Several spices such as clove, cumin, cinnamon, curcumin, ajwain, fenugreek seeds, oregano, and thyme, etc. have the capability to treat infectious diseases due to the presence of various types of secondary metabolites. These properties have proposed a new way of the utilization of these spices as nutraceuticals. According to Ayurveda, spices have the capacity to work as anti-infammatory, antiarthritic, hypoglycaemic, antithrombotic, and anti-atherosclerotic agents [5]. Sev- eral spices and their related products have been reported to have nutraceutical potential, e.g., aged garlic extract, Cumin seeds, turmeric, black pepper, clove oil, ajwain seeds, fen- ugreek seeds, ginger oil [6–9], etc. There are many more spices having such properties. There are many Himalayan herbs, which are being used as spices by local people. Allium stracheyi and Angelica glauca Edgew. commonly known as Jambu and Gandhrayan, are two of those herbs [10]. Dried fowers of Allium stracheyi and dried roots of Angelica glauca have been used as spices. Angelica glauca Edgew. is the native and endemic species of the Indian Himalaya and distributed in the diferent Indian Himalayan states eg. Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir and Sikkim with diferent altitudinal variation in its distribution [11]. Its roots can be harvested only after 2–3 years of cultivation. After harvesting, the roots have been dried in shade before packaging [12]. Dis- tribution of Allium stracheyi is in an altitudinal range of 2500–3625 m in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in Indian Himalayas along with neibouring countries such as Pakistan and Nepal [13]. Arial part, which is used as spice, is harvested twice/trice a year and generally shade dried before packaging [14]. According to IUCN and CAMP, 2003 Allium stracheyi and Angelica glauca are con- sidered as vulnerable and critically endangered mainly due Chemical compounds studied in this article Quercetin [PubChem CID: 5280343], Ascorbic acid [PubChem CID: 54670067], Tannic acid [PubChem CID: 16129778]. * Vasudha Agnihotri vasudha@gbpihed.nic.in 1 G. B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Kosi-Katarmal, Almora, Uttarakhand 263643, India