Shende KM and Singh NI
With increase in awareness about adverse effects of chemical use in food, there is a continuous effort for search of natural alternatives. Several plant extracts and their purified compounds are being explored for their biological efficacy. In the present study, Docynia indica, which grows as a wild tree in North Eastern region of India has been explored for its possible use as a source of natural preservatives. Although some reports about biological activities of D. indica fruit exist in literature, not much is known about its phytochemical profile. Various fruit extracts prepared at different maturity stages of D. indica fruits were analysed for their in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial potential, and phytochemical profile of their methanolic extracts were determined by high performance liquid chromatography. The immature fruit extract showed high concentration of total phenolics (upto 196.15 mg gallic acid equivalent/ g extract) and flavonoids (up to 100.49 mg rutin equivalent/ g extract) depending on the extraction solvent; and also showed higher antioxidant activity in in vitro assays. Although no definite trend was observed for antibacterial activity based on maturity stages, extraction with the mixture of methanol, acetone and water (1:1:1) was found to show least minimum inhibitory concentration for all the maturity stages. Catechin and ferulic acid were the major phenolics present in D. indica fruits. The antioxidant and antibacterial compounds present in various extracts of D. indica indicate its potential for utilization as food preservative.
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