PHYTOCHEMICAL, PROXIMATE, AND ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF UGIRI FRUIT (Irvingia gabonensis)

Abstract

Invingia gabonensis, known as African bush mango, was analyzed for its phytochemical, proximate, acute toxicity, and antioxidant properties. The methanol pulp extract gave a percentage yield of 24.28%. The preliminary phytochemical analysis shows the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, proteins, carbohydrates, tannins, resins, and terpenoids. The quantitative analysis shows that the extract contains 0.812 mg/g alkaloids, 0.903 mg/g flavonoids, and 0.98 mg/g steroids. The acute toxicity test showed that the plant is not toxic up to 500 mg/kg body weight. This suggests the safety of the plant for human and animal consumption. The proximate analysis revealed that the plant contains 2.53% fats, 78.8% moisture, 5.45% ash, 1.74% fiber, 8.1% carbohydrates, and 4.1% protein. The antioxidant activity of the pulp extract showed that the extract significantly (p<0.05) elevated the superoxide dismutase and glutathione concentrations of rats treated with carbon tetrachloride. The methanol pulp extract showed no significant (p>0.05) increase in the catalase activity of rats treated with CCL4. The plant has been shown to contain nutritional and antioxidant properties and is thus recommended for human consumption.