EVALUATION OF NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION, ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND ANTIBACTERIAL EFFECT OF Ficus racemosa AND Ficus hispida FRUITS

Abstract

Considering the growing need to identify the alternative plant-based nutritional sources fruits of Ficus racemosa and Ficus hispida from the Moraceae family were evaluated to find out the nutritional composition including major and trace minerals, antioxidants and antibacterial activity in order to priorities their edibility and for the medicinal uses. The nutritional analysis reported that, F. racemosa and F hispida both serve as a good source of fiber, carbohydrate, minerals and bioactive compounds. Analysis showed that the fat content (9.3g) in F. racemosa was doubled than the F. hispida (4.38g) per 100 g dried weight. The average protein content of the both fruits was about 9.8g. The fiber content (26.53g) was significantly higher in the F. hispida than the F. racemosa (18.02g). The energy content of F. racemosa and F. hispida fruits were 317.2 and 242.35Kcal respectively for 100g (DW). The fruits are rich in essential minerals (Na, K, Ca, Mg, P) and sufficient trace elements (Fe, Zn, Cu). It was reported that the average potassium content of both fruits was about 1150mg. The calcium content was found higher amounts in the fruits of F. hispida (760mg/100g). The iron contents of both fruits were within the range of 64-68mg/100g. For the antioxidant activity, the IC₅₀ value were 16.80 and 38.53 μg/ml for F. racemosa and F. hispida fruit respectively, where the value of standard ascorbic acid 9.56 μg/ml. The phytochemical screening test revealed that the alkaloids and tannins were present in the both fruits; additionally, F. racemosa was also positive for the saponins test. Quantitative Analysis of bioactive compounds showed that the phenolic content of F. racemosa and F. hispida were 10.42 and 5.74mg GAE /g respectively. The flavonoid content of F. racemosa 20.05±0.15 mg QE/g) was higher than the F. hispida fruits (15.97±0.75mg QE/g). The aqueous and diethyl ether extracts of both fruits did not show any zone of inhibition against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. It can be concluded that, both fruits contain lots of essential nutrients that justify their use as food and also rich in bioactive compounds that may be responsible to cure different diseases