Phytochemical and antioxidant attributes of Rhus chinensis Mill., an edible wild fruit from Sikkim Himalaya

By : Dhani Raj Chhetri , Justina Mahanta , Arun Chettri , Aditya Pradhan

Page No: 157-166

Abstract:
Rhus chinensis Mill. is a wild medicinal plant found in Sikkim Himalaya, which yields edible fruits. The juice concentrate from the fruits is used traditionally for the cure of various gastric disorders. The present study was carried out to analyze the phytochemical and nutraceutical constituents of the fruits of R. chinensis and to see whether the antioxidant properties are related to these constituents. Proximate and nutritional analyses were performed by the AOAC methods. Lycopene and ?carotene were estimated by the method of Nagata and Yamashita. Total phenolics was calculated in terms of gallic acid equivalents and total flavonoids as well as flavonol contents were calculated as rutin equivalents using standard methods. Antioxidant capacity was determined by DPPH, ABTS, Hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity and total antioxidant activity. Mineral contents were determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). The findings reveal the presence of a very high content of phenolics, flavonoids, vitamin C and dietary fibres in addition to the appreciable amounts of lipids, total carbohydrates and calorific value. The fruit extracts prepared in water, ethyl acetate and aqueous methanol exhibited strong antioxidant activity in different assays. Solvent and assay specific variations were evident. The fruits also contained high levels of micro- and macro elements. The study supports the medicinal and nutritional value of Rhus chinensis. The medicinal properties exhibited by the fruit extracts may be due to its strong antioxidant properties and the antioxidant properties in turn may be due to the presence of appreciable level of secondary metabolites.

Authors :
Dhani Raj Chhetri, Jutisna Mahanta, Arun Chettri and Aditya Pradhan
Department of Botany, Sikkim University, 6th Mile, Tadong, Gangtok, Sikkim-737102, India.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/JPSR.2020.36.1-2.21