Title:Amino Acid Profiles, Antimicrobial Activity and Anti-nutritional Contents of Two Wild Edible Plants (Sphenoclea zeylanica Gaertn. and Sphaerantus peguensis Kurz ex C.B. Clarke.)
Volume: 8
Issue: 1
Author(s): Hwiyang Narzary and Sanjay Basumatary*
Affiliation:
- Department of Chemistry, Bodoland University, Kokrajhar-783370, Assam,India
Keywords:
Wild edible plants, amino acids, antimicrobial, anti-nutritional, MIC, MBC.
Abstract:
Background: The two wild plants viz. Sphenoclea zeylanica and Sphaerantus peguensis are
seasonally consumed as vegetables by the Bodo people in Assam of North East India. Wild vegetables
are considered as one of the cheapest sources for human nutrition that contains rich sources of numerous
minerals and bioactive compounds which on consumption can contribute several health benefits
against various diseases.
Objective: The aim of the present study is to investigate amino acid profiles, antimicrobial property
and anti-nutritional contents of the two wild edible plants.
Methods: Amino acid profiles were determined by using ultra-performance liquid chromatography, antimicrobial
activities of aqueous and methanol extracts of the plants were tested following the disc diffusion
method against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris and Escherichia coli,
and anti-nutritional contents were evaluated based on the reported methods.
Results: The total amino acid content found in S. zeylanica was 42.87 mg/g dry weight and it was
found to be 32.65 mg/g dry weight in S. peguensis. The methanol extracts of the plants are exhibiting
antibacterial activities against all the studied microorganisms. However, aqueous extracts showed no
antibacterial activity against P. vulgaris and B. cereus. In this study, S. zeylanica species showed higher
levels of anti-nutritional contents compared to S. peguensis.
Conclusion: In the study, higher levels of essential amino acids were detected in S. zeylanica compared
to S. peguensis. The methanol extracts of the plants showed more effective antimicrobial activities
in comparison to the aqueous extracts and this may be due to the presence of antimicrobial compounds
which are more readily soluble in methanol.