| Summary: | The first line therapy of patients with Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, is levodopa (L-dopa) given orally. Recently, the presence of natural L-dopa in the seed of <i>Mucuna pruriens</i>, a tropical legume in the Fabaceae family, was reported and it showed superior efficiency compared with synthetic L-dopa. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the phytochemical compounds, particularly for natural L-dopa, in <i>M. pruriens</i> seed extract and subsequently prepare a nanogel containing the extract prior to incorporation into a jelly formulation for use as a functional food in elderly patients with Parkinson’s disease. The results show that <i>M. pruriens</i> seed extract contains phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, terpenoids, and saponins. The quantitative analysis performed by the HPLC method revealed that spray-dried <i>M. pruriens</i> seed extract contained 5.59 ± 0.21% L-dopa. <i>M. pruriens</i> seed extract possesses a ferric-reducing antioxidant power and shows free-radical scavenging activity, determined by <i>DPPH</i> and <i>ABTS</i> methods, suggesting a distinctive antioxidant ability of the extract. <i>M. pruriens</i> seed extract at 10 ng/mL did not show cytotoxicity against a neuronal cell line (SH-SY5Y cells), kidney cells (HEK293 cells), or Caco-2 cells. Nanogel of <i>M. pruriens</i> seed extract prepared by ionic gelation had the hydrodynamic diameter, polydispersity index and zeta potential value of 384.53 ± 11.24 nm, 0.38 ± 0.05, and −11.23 ± 1.15 mV, respectively. The transepithelial transport of L-dopa in <i>M. pruriens</i> seed-extract nanogel through Caco-2 cells was measured. Nanogel containing <i>M. pruriens</i> seed extract at the concentration of 10 ng/mL exhibited neuroprotective activity. A jelly formulation containing <i>M. pruriens</i> seed-extract nanogel was successfully developed. The prepared jelly exhibited the acceptable physical and microbiological stabilities upon 6 months of the stability test. The half-life of natural L-dopa in jelly were 3.2, 0.9, and 0.6 years for storage conditions at 4, 30, and 40 °C, respectively, indicating the thermal degradation of natural L-dopa. The prepared jelly containing natural L-dopa from <i>M. pruriens</i> seed extract with the prominent antioxidant activity is a promising option for elderly patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
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