NUTRITIONAL POTENTIAL EVALUATING OF MEDICINE AND EDIBLE PLANT FOOD IN IRAN

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1 World Journal of Medical Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences 2011, 1(1): ISSN: NUTRITIONAL POTENTIAL EVALUATING OF MEDICINE AND EDIBLE PLANT FOOD IN IRAN Ali Aberoumand Natural Resources College, Behbahan Khtemolanbia Technology University, Behbahan, Iran. Corresponding author Abstract The proximate composition and mineral constituents of Cordia myxa fruits were evaluated. The fruits contained ashes 6.7%, crude protein 8.32%, crude lipid 2.2%, crude fibre 25.7% and carbohydrates 57.08%. The fruits also have high energy values [281.4kcal/100 g dry weight (DW)]. Mineral ranges (mg/100 g DW) were: K (7.83), Na (1.62), Ca (0.46), Fe (0.51) and Zn (0.35). Comparing the fruits mineral contents with recommended dietary allowances, the results indicated that Cordia myxa fruits could be a good supplement for some nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, K, and Na. The presence of these secondary metabolites has contributed to its medicinal value as well as physiological activity. Keywords: Cordia myxa. Nutritional Value. Nutrients. Phytochemicals. Introduction In developing nations, numerous types of edible wild plants are exploited as sources of food hence provide an adequate level of nutrition to the inhabitants. Recent studies on agropastoral societies in Africa indicate that these, plant resources play a significant role in nutrition; food security and income generation Holland, D.J. et al. (1998). Furthermore, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) report, at least one billion people are thought to use wild foods in their diet Gillman, M.W(1995). In Ghana along, the leaves of over 300 species of wild plants and fruits are consumed (FAO.1998). In Swaziland, wild plants provide a greater share of the diet than domesticated cultivars. In India, Malaysia and Thailand, about 150 wild plants species have been identified as sources of emergency food.similarly, in South Africa about 1400 edible plant species are used (Reddy, N.R., 2002). In Sahel region of Africa, over 200 wild foods were identified to be used by the rural communities (Weaver, C.M. and Kannan, S.2002). In most of these reports, it was emphasised that nutritionally, these unconventional plants foods could be comparable to or even sometimes superior to the introduced cultivars Iniaghe, O.M. et al. 2009). It is, therefore, worthwhile to note that the incorporation of edible wild and semi-cultivated plant resources could be beneficial to nutritionally marginal populations or to certain vulnerable groups within populations, especially in developing countries where poverty and climatic changes are causing havoc to the rural populace. In this context, analyses were carried out to evaluate the nutritional content of these edible plants with hope that it would be incorporated into the food basket of the country(antia, B.S.et al. (2006). Fruits are important sources of minerals, fiber and vitamins, which provides essential nutrients for the human health. In addition, it is known that some fruits have the so-called anti-nutritional factors (e.g. Phytic acid and Tannins) that can diminish the nutrient bioavailability, especially if they are present at high levels, Nevertheless, it has been reported that these anti-nutritional factors could help to prevent and treat several important diseases; remarkably, the anticarcinogenic activity of phytic acid has been demonstrated by in vitro and in vivo assays. The most important nutrients present in plants are: carbohydrates, such as the starch and free sugars, oils, proteins, minerals, ascorbic acid, and the antioxidant phenols, such as chlorogenic acid and its

2 polymers. These molecules are involved in pathogen resistance in plants, and the chlorogenic acid concentration represents about the 90% of the total phenolic compounds in plants (Spiller, G.A., 2001). Protein malnutrition is a major public health problem in the developing world. The major food crops being roots and tubers hence the diets in these parts are predominantly starchy. The trace elements, together with other essential nutrients, are necessary for growth, normal physiological functioning, and maintaining of life; they must be supplied by food, since the body cannot synthesis them. The exact classification of trace versus macro minerals is not clear cut, but traces are often considered as minerals required by the body in amounts lesss than 100 mg daily. While some of them are vitally important for health, the roles of others are unclear. Recommended intakes have been set for some trace elements and their deficiency can lead to disease, but a lack of others does not cause any recognized problems. To decide whether a micro-nutrient is essential or not, several criteria are used, such as the presence of the nutrient in healthy tissue, if it appears in the fetus and newborns and if the body maintains homeostatic control over its uptake in the bloodstream or tissue and its excretion (Ekanayake, E.R. et al. 1998). Plants, which are sources of Phytochemicals with strong antioxidantt activity, have attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. Antioxidants, which inhibit the oxidation of organic molecules, are very important, not only for food preservation, but also for the defense of living systems against oxidative stress (Janab, M. and Thompson, L.U. 2002). Phenolic antioxidants interrupt the propagation of the free radical autoxidation chain by contributing a hydrogen atom from a phenolic hydroxyl group, with the formation of a relatively stable free radical that does not initiate or propagate further oxidation processes (Masuda, T. et al. 2003). Dietary fiber (DF) plays an important role in decreasing the risks of many disorders such as constipation, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), diverticulosis and obesity. Plant foods are the only sources of DF. All the fractions (cellulose, lignin, hemi cellulose, pectin, gums and mucilage) of DF are the major constituents of plant cell wall. Dietary fiber is subdivided into Insoluble (IDF) and soluble (SDF) dietary fiber depending on their solubility in water. However, the DF can be grouped into two major types (a) soluble/viscous/fermentable and (b) insoluble/nonviscous/ slowly fermentable. Recently, FAO/WHO discussion document on carbohydrates recommended dropping the terms soluble and insoluble fiber (Kaur, C. and Kapoor, H.C.2001). The physiological effects of totall dietary fiber (TDF), in the forms of insoluble and soluble fractions of foods, have a significant role in human nutrition. Indian diets predominantly consist of a variety of plant foods such as cereals, pulses, green leafy vegetables (GLV), roots, tubers, other vegetables, fruits, oil seeds, spices and condiments. Fruits are consumed in various forms like fresh, dried, frozen or canned. The polysaccharides comprising a major part of DF in fruits and vegetables are beneficial to healthy human volunteers, since the consumption of fiber lowers plasma cholesterol levels (Roberfroid, R. and Selvendran, R. 1984). reported protective effect of fruits and vegetables against the development of stroke in men. Addition of fruits and vegetables to the regular diet of infracted survivors resulted in a decreased mortality and subsequent infarctions. Therefore, the dietary fiber may play a major role in determining the health and disease conditions of different population groups. Inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP ), commonly known as phytate, is a major component of plant storage organs such as seeds, roots and tubers, where it serves as a phosphate source for germination and growth. Due to its ability to chelate and precipitate minerals, phytate can decrease the bioavailability of critical nutrients such as zinc, iron, calcium and magnesium in foods such as whole grains, nuts and legumes, At the same time, phytate may have beneficial roles as an antioxidant, ant carcinogen and more (Onianwa, P.C. et al. 1999). No work has been done on the chemical constituents of the plant. Species, habitat and consumption of cordia myxa shown in Table 3. Aim of this study was review on Cordia myxa fruits nutrients for evaluation of nutritional values (Fig. 2). Fig 1. Fruiting twig of Cordia myxa Roxb.

3 Materials and Methods Plant material Fresh Cordia myxa fruits are used as experimental materials which were collected from farm lands in Agricultural Research Central of Dezful, Khuzestan province, Iran, in October The collected plant material was placed in a polyethylene bag to prevent loss of moisture during transportation to Food chemistry laboratory of Isfahan University, Isfahan, Iran. Chemical and Instruments 1. Chemicals petroleum ether, 1.25% H2SO4, 1.25% NaOH, aliquots, concentrated tetraoxosulphate, digestion tablet (a catalyst), ammonia, 45% sodium hydroxide solution, 20% boric acid solution, mixed indicator and nitric/perchloric/sulphuric acid (9:2:1 v/v/v) mixture. 2. Instruments Pestle, mortar, 20-mesh sieve, Soxhlet apparatus, desiccator, oven, volumetric flask, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), emission spectrometer and flame photometer. Preparation of the Plant Material for Chemical Analyses Cordia myxa fruits were washed with distilled water and dried at room temperature to remove residual moisture, then placed in paper envelope and oven-dried at 55 C for 24 h (Okwu, D.E. and Global, J.2001). The dried fruits were ground into powder using pestle and mortar and sieved through 20-mesh sieve. The fruits powder was used for the nutrients analyses. Proximate Analysis The methods recommended by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) were used to determine ash (#942.05), crude lipid (#920.39), crude fibre (#962.09) and nitrogen content (#984.13; AOAC 2005). Determination of Crude Lipid and Crude Fibre Content Two grams of dried fruits were weighed in a porous thimble of a Soxhlet apparatus, with its mouth plugged with cotton wool. The thimble was placed in an extraction chamber which was suspended above a preweighed receiving flask containing petroleum ether (bp C). The flask was heated on a heating mantle for 8 h to extract the crude lipid. After the extraction, the thimble was removed from the Soxhlet apparatus and the solvent distilled off. The flask containing the crude lipid was heated in the oven at 100 C for 30 min to evaporate the solvent, then cooled in a desiccator and reweighed. The difference in weight was expressed as percentage crude lipid content. Crude fibre was estimated by acid base digestion with 1.25% H2SO4 (prepared by diluting 7.2 ml of 94% conc. acid of specific gravity g ml 1/ 1,000 ml distilled water) and 1.25% NaOH (12.5 g/ 1,000 ml distilled water) solutions. The residue after crude lipid extraction was put into a 600- ml beaker, and 200 ml of boiling 1.25% H2SO4 was added. The contents were boiled for 30 min, cooled, filtered through a filter paper and the residue washed three times with 50 ml aliquots of boiling water. The washed residue was brought back to the original beaker and further digested by boiling in 200 ml of 1.25% NaOH for 30 min. The digest was filtered to obtain the residue. This was washed three times with 50 ml aliquots of boiling water and finally with 25 ml ethanol. The washed residue was dried in an oven at 130 C to constant weight and cooled in a desiccator. The residue was scraped into a pre-weighed porcelain crucible, weighed, ashed at 550 C for 2 h, cooled in a desiccator and reweighed. Crude fibre content was expressed as percentage loss in weight on ignition. Determination of Nitrogen Content and Estimation of Crude Protein Macro Kjeldahl method was used to determine the nitrogen content of the fruits. Two grams of dried fruits were digested in a 100-mL Kjeldahl digestion flask by boiling with 10 ml of concentrated tetraoxosulphate (VI) acid and a Kjeldahl digestion tablet (a catalyst) until the mixture was clear. The digest was filtered into a 100-mL volumetric flask, and the solution made up to 100 ml with distilled water. Ammonia in the digest was steam-distilled from 10 ml of the digest to which had been added 20 ml of 45% sodium hydroxide solution. The ammonia liberated was collected in 50 ml of 20% boric acid solution containing a mixed indicator. Ammonia was estimated by titrating with standard 0.01-mol L 1 HCl solution. Blank determination was carried out in a similar manner. Crude protein was estimated by multiplying the value obtained for percentage nitrogen content by a factor of 6.25.

4 Estimation of Carbohydrates and Energy Values Available carbohydrate was estimated by difference, by subtracting the total sum of percent crude protein, crude lipid, crude fibre and ash from 100% dry weight (DW) of the fruit (AOAC,2005). The fruit calorific value (in kj) was estimated by multiplying the percentages of crude protein, crude lipid and carbohydrate by the factors 16.7, 37.7 and 16.7, respectively (Alan, L. and Miller, N.D. 1996). Mineral Analysis The mineral elements Na, K, Ca, Fe and Zn were determined on 0.3 g fruits powder by the methods of Funtua. using EDXRF transmission emission spectrometer carrying an annuar 25 mci 109Cd isotopic excitation source that emits Ag K X- ray (22.1 kev) and Mo X-ray tube (50 KV, 5 ma) with thick foil of pure Mo used as target material for absorption correction. The system had a Canberra Si (Li) detector with a resolution of 170 at 5.9 kev line and was coupled to a computercontrolled ADCCard (Trump 8K). Measurements were carried out in duplicate. Na was analysed after wet digestion of 1 g of the fruits powder with nitric/perchloric/sulphuric acid (9:2:1 v/v/v) mixture. Sodium was analysed with a Corning 400 flame photometer (AOAC 2005). Results and Discussion Proximate composition of Cordia myxa fruits shown in Table 1. The ash content, which is an index of mineral contents, for Cordia myxa fruits, with the value of 6.7% DW was lower than the values reported for other edible fruits as Cordia myxa (18.00±1.27% DW. It is apparent that Cordia myxa are a good source of sodium and potassium. Protein content (8.32%) was lower for some lesser known wild fruits such as Cordia myxa (11.29±0.07); According to the Elegbede, J.A.(1998) food plants that provide more than 12% of their calorific value of protein are a good source of protein. In that context, Cordia myxa fruits (8.32%) are a relatively good source of protein. The crude lipid content (2.2%) of the fruits was less than the range ( % DW) reported for some vegetables consumed in Nigeria and Republic of Niger (Bruneton, J. 1999). Amounts of protein, lipid, carbohydrates and fibre in Cordia myxa in our study were compared with the results of the study of Duke and Ayensu, and it is observed that amounts of macronutrients, in our study were less than the results of the study of Duke and Ayensu (Duke, J.A. and Ayensu, E.S.1985). The estimated carbohydrate content (57.08%); (Fig. 2) in Cordia myxa fruits was considered to be higher than that for Senna obtusfolia leaves (20%) and Amaranthus incurvatus (23.7%). The crude fibre content in Cordia myxa fruits (25.7%) was higher than the reported values ( %) of some Nigerian vegetables (20). One discussed drawback to the use of vegetables in human nutrition is their high fibre content, which may cause intestinal irritation and a decrease of nutrient bioavailability. The fibre-recommended dietary allowance values for children, adults, pregnant and breast-feeding mothers are 19 25%, 21 38%, 28% and 29%, respectively. Thus, the Cordia myxa fruits could be a valuable source of dietary fibre in human nutrition. The calorific value of Cordia myxa fruits was estimated to be kcal/ 100 g DW, which is an indication that it could be an important source of dietary calorie. High calorific content of the fruits could be attributed to high lipid content (Okwu, D.E. and Global, J. 2001). Mineral Content % DW prot Lipid Fibre Car plant sources S (a) (b) Fig 2. (a) Proximate composition of Cordia myxa fruits (b) Mineral constituents of Cordia myxa fruit mg/ 100g Ash Ca k Na Zn Fe plant sources S

5 Table 1. Proximate composition of Cordia myxa fruits Parameters Concentration (% DW) Ash Protein Lipid Fibre Carbohydrates Calorific value (kcal/100g) Table 2 shows that the results of the mineral concentrations of Cordia myxa fruits nutritional significant of iron element is not compared with the standard recommended dietary allowance. When compared with standard values as shown in Table 2, Cordia myxa fruits are less than adequate level of K, Fe, Zn, Ca and Na, but the plant fruit could be the good source of K and Na. Duke, J.A. and Ayensu, E.S.(1985).) reported amounts of ash, calcium, iron, potassium and sodium in Cordia myxa fruits to be 20 mg/100 g, 1,500 mg/100 g, 29 mg/100 g, 1,800 mg/100 g and 55 mg/ 100 g, respectively. Amounts of ash, calcium, iron, potassium and sodium in Cordia myxa fruits in our study were compared with results of Duke, J.A. and Ayensu, E.S.1985). it is observed that amounts of minerals except ash in our study were very less compared with the results of the study of Duke and Ayensu (Duke, J.A. and Ayensu, E.S.1985). Table 2. Mineral composition of Cordia myxa fruits Mineral Recommended Dietary Allowances (mg/day) Available quantity Children 7-10 years Adult male Adult female Pregnant & lactating Mothers mg / 100 g DW* Calcium Potassium Sodium Iron Zinc The data are mean values+ deviation(sd) of three replicates. At the results of Table 2, there were significant among calcium, potassium, sodium, iron and zinc with 95% confidence interval (P<0.05) Table 3. Species, habitat and consumption of cordia myxa in Behbehan, South Iran Botanical name Family Part(s) used Habitat Typical consumption Country Cordia myxa Roxb Boraginaceae Fruits Disturbed Regularly Iran

6 Table 4. Phytochemical Screening of Cordia myxa Roxb Fruits Phytochemical Result Alkaloids + Saponin + Steroid + Poly phenols + Where + means available Other minerals detected in reasonable amounts are zinc, calcium and potassium. lead, cadmium, chromium and copper were not detected. Calcium helps in bone formation and blood coagulation. Sodium is the main inorganic cation of extracellular tissue fluids, potassium function principally as the cation of the cell and also in nerve and muscle excitability. Iron is important as a constituent of haem, an essential part of haemochromagens important in respiration(alan, L. and Miller, N.D. 1996). Copper and chromium were not detected in the fruits. Lead and cadmium were also not detected in the fruits and this is of great advantage to the consumers since these heavy metals have been reported to be toxic (Elegbede, J.A.1998). The results of the phytochemical screening, Table 4, indicated the presence of alkaloids, saponin, poly phenols and steroids. The presence of these secondary metabolites has contributed to its medicinal value as well as physiological activity(bruneton, J. 1999)..For instance, poly phenols have been shown to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antiviral and antineoplastic activity(sofowora, E.A.1993). Many of these alleged effects has been linked to their known functions as strong antioxidant, free radical scavenger and metal chelators. Steroidal compounds are of importance in pharmacy because of their relationship with such compounds as sex hormones (Sofowora, E.A.1993). Saponins have been reported to show tumor inhibiting activity on animals. The positive effects of glycoside and cardiac glycoside are not common but their toxic effects include decreased heart rate, symphatetic activity and systematic vascular resistance. The presence of some of these antinutrients can be reduced by various processing techniques (Sofowora, E.A.1993). Concluding Remarks Based on these findings, the Cordia myxa fruits can be recommended as a good source of nutrients (fibre, protein, carbohydrates, K, Na, and calorie) to supplement other major sources. From the present study, one can deduce that, these fruits may serve as constituents of human diet supplying the body with minerals, proteins and energy. The presence of compounds that are biologically important contributes to its nutritive value and thus can be potential sources of useful foods. Acknowledgements This research work was carried out as project. The author is grateful to the head of the Department of Food Science, University of Isfahan in Iran for providing the necessary laboratory facilities and for the encouragement. References 1. Spiller, G.A., (2001). Dietary fiber in prevention and treatment of disease. In: G.A. Spiller, (Eds.). CRC handbook of dietary fiber in human nutrition, CRC Press LLC, Washington. pp Ekanayake, E.R.,et al. (1998). Proximate composition, mineral and amino acid content of mature Canavalia gladiata seeds, Food Chem. 66, Janab, M. and Thompson, L.U.(2002). Role of Phytic acid in cancer and other diseases. In: N.R. Reddy and S.K. Sathe, Food Phytates, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. pp:

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