Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of selected parts of Mangifera pajang (bambangan) and Artocarpus odoratissimus (tarap) fruits

Ingestion of fruits has been associated with prevention of degenerative diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and atherosclerosis. In recent years, under-utilised fruit species endemic to specific places have been popular for intensive investigation. M. pajang (Anacardiaceae; local name: bambangan) and A. odoratissimus (Moraceae, local name: tarap) are plant species in the mango and jackfruit groups respectively, which are endemic to Borneo island. This study was conducted to determine the total phenolic and flavonoid content of different parts of both fruits. The fruits were collected and flesh, kernel and peel from M. pajang as well as flesh and seed from A. odoratissimus were freeze-dried. Total phenolic content was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent [1] and flavonoid content was determined using aluminium chloride colorimetric method [2]. Total phenolic content of the samples was in the range of 5.96–103.3mg GAE/g (Gallic acid equivalent). M. pajang kernel and M. pajang flesh contained the highest and lowest total flavonoid content with the values of 10.98 and 0.07mg RE/g (Rutin equivalent), respectively. It seems that the by-products (i.e. kernel and seed) contained higher phenolic and flavonoid content compared to the flesh. In conclusion, our investigation on selected fruits endemic to Borneo indicates that both fruits and their by-products are rich sources of polyphenolic phytochemicals. Investigations on the phytochemical profiling and studies on the bioactivity of the fruits and their by-products are in progress.

Acknowledgements: Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Universiti Putra Malaysia, University of Nottingham, UK and Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Malaysia.

References: 1. Singleton, V.L., Rossi, J. A. (1965) Am. J. Eno. Vit. 16: 144–158 2. Dewanto, V. et al. (2002)J. Agr. Food Chem. 50: 3010–3014