ABSTRACT

This chapter provides a review of the scientific research that has evaluated the nutritional composition of 13 commercially significant Australian native plants. It also summarises these recent investigations with a view of providing up-to-date information that will assist in creating further commercial opportunities for these plants. The chapter identifies issues that may be of concern and areas that require further research. The chapter focuses on two assay systems that have previously been used to screen Australian native plants for antioxidant properties. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay measures the ability of a food extract to reduce free radicals and, according to Konczak, is the most relevant system to human biology. Until recently, most studies of Australian native plants have reported solely on the antioxidant capacities without examining other medicinally important bioactivities. The chapter explores recently ascertained antimicrobial properties and identification of the responsible active constituents.