2 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
- In South Africa, forbs make up the largest component of herbaceous species in grassland and savanna ecosystems, contributing significantly to nutritional food items for herbivores at certain times of the year. However, there are limited reports on the nutraceutical value of native forb species. Here, the proximate composition and the mineral, amino acid and antinutrient content of Evolvulus alsinoides, a commonly browsed forb species in South Africa, were evaluated for the first time. In addition, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) were applied for chemical analyses of pulverized samples and crude extracts. Proximate analysis revealed the presence of crude protein (11.07±0.10%), carbohydrate (75.37±0.12%), moisture (4.26±0.23%), crude fat (1.8 ± 0.09%), crude fibre (29.2 ± 0.72%), ash (8.34±0.16%), neutral detergent fibre (44.40±0.15%), acid detergent fibre (44.04±0.03%), and an energy value of 361.68±0.10 Kcal/100g. Elemental composition showed that potassium (2.29 ± 0.04%) and iron (1276.67 ± 34.84 mg/kg) were predominant amongst the macro and trace minerals, respectively. Additionally, essential amino acids such as valine, phenylalanine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, histidine, lysine, tryptophan, and threonine were present in E. alsinoides. The antinutrients evaluated (oxalate 0.00438 ± 0.12 mg/g and phytate 1.16 ± 0.02%) were below toxic levels. The FTIR spectrum of the pulverized plant sample revealed the presence of different functional groups, including OH, C − H, C triple bond H, C − O, and C = C, indicating the presence of different metabolites in the plant. A total of 196 compounds class consisting of several sub-groups of terpenoids, fatty acids, fatty alcohol, fatty esters, steroids, some volatile organic compounds, phenols, alkaloids, saponin, and glycosides were identified from the GC–MS analysis of n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of E. alsinoides. Overall, we conclude that E. alsinoides has high-quality nutrient resources for livestock and nutraceutical value of beneficial effects on animals’ health.
- 1
- 14
- 0
- Evolvulus alsinoides (L.) L. (Convolvulaceae) is a forb species that is highly valued in traditional medicine for its memory-enhancing effects, and a range of other ethnomedicinal properties. However, there are no studies on the phytochemical composition and antioxidant activities of E. alsinoides collected in South Africa. The present study was designed to investigate the phytochemical contents and antioxidant properties of aqueous and ethanolic plant extracts of E. alsinoides collected from the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The phytochemical contents were determined using spectrophotometric and colorimetric methods, while the antioxidant activities were determined using three in vitro antioxidant ([2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,20-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic) acid (ABTS), and Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP)] assays. Additionally, the functional groups present in the extracts were analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Results revealed that the ethanolic extracts of E. alsinoides gave the highest content of total phenol (17.07 § 2.28 mg GAE/g DW extract), total flavonoid (82. 44 § 0.93 mg QE/g DW extract), and proanthocyanidin (32. 98 § 2.10 mg CE/g DW extract). The total alkaloid and saponin quantification of the crude extract of E. alsinoides gave mean percentage values of 2.6 § 0.2% and 33.7 § 0.00%, respectively. The ethanol extract had the highest DPPH scavenging ability (IC50 value: 0.4367 mg/mL), ABTS scavenging ability (IC50 value: 0.099 mg/mL) and the best ferric reducing antioxidant power (138.16 § 3. 27 mgTE/ g). The total phenolic, flavonoid, and proanthocyanidins contents positively correlated with DPPH and ABTS activities. The spectral data of FTIR analysis of E. alsinoides extracts revealed the presence of functional characteristic groups of carboxylic acids, aromatic amines, alkanes, phenols, alkynes, hydroxy, alcohols, and sulfoxide, which could contribute to the medicinal properties of this plant species. The results of the study justify the usage of E. alsinoides in folkloric medicine and can be explored further for pharmaceutical plant-based products.
- 1
- 18
- 0