Journal of Food Technology

Year: 2010
Volume: 8
Issue: 3
Page No. 118 - 125

Proximate Composition, Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activities of Three Black Plum (Vitex sp.) Fruits: Preliminary Results

Authors : Charles O. Ochieng and Brian O. Nandwa

Abstract: Highly reactive molecules (NO, O2�, HOO�) generated in biological systems are associated with initiation of degerative diseases. The antioxidants can reduce this risk. Fruits are one of the most important sources of antioxidants such as vitamins and phenolic phytochemicals. Vitex plants are wild tropical plant which has found wide application in traditional medicine and human food in the west and central African regions. This study was conducted to test antioxidant capacity, to compare the values of total phenolic and flavonoid contents and to estimate the proximate composition of three different fruits of Vitex species. The free radicals deactivating ability was measured using DPPH, NO scavenging assays and the reducing power tested by FRAP assay. Total phenolic content and flavonoid content were evaluated according to the Folin-Ciocalteu procedure and a colorimetric method, respectively. Vitex doniana and Vitex kiniensis extract showed high total phenol (601.40 and 719.83 mg GA/100 g FW, respectively) and flavonoid (2.35 and 2.09 μg RT/g extract) content and better reducing power by FRAP at 545.71 and 402.43 μMFe2+/100 g FW, respectively. The proximate compositions of the three fruits showed slight variation. The extracts demonstrated good scavenging activities against DPPH and NO assays which were not significantly different at (p<0.05). Thus these results suggest that extract three Vitex species may serve as potential source of natural antioxidant for food and nutraceautical application.

How to cite this article:

Charles O. Ochieng and Brian O. Nandwa, 2010. Proximate Composition, Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activities of Three Black Plum (Vitex sp.) Fruits: Preliminary Results. Journal of Food Technology, 8: 118-125.

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