Journal of Agricultural Technology 2012, Vol. 8(3): 923-929
923
Assay of Nutritional Potential of the Fruits of Solanum indicum
L. in Iran
Ali Aberoumand*
*Department of Food Science and Technology, Behbahan Branch, Islamic Azad University,
Behbahan, Iran
Ali Aberoumand (2012) Assay of Nutritional Potential of the Fruits of Solanum indicum L. in
Iran. Journal of Agricultural Technology 8(3): 923-929.
The proximate and phytochemical composition of the Fruits of Solanum indicum was
investigated. The proximate composition includes crude fibre (8% wet weight), total
carbohydrate (40.67% wet weight), crude protein (23.47% wet weight), total ash (22.66% wet
weight), crude fat (5.26% wet weight) and caloric value of (303.9 wet weight). The
phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, polyphenols(7.02mg/g), and
saponins. This result support the medicinal use of the plant, and in addition, unveils the
possibility of its acting as a potential source of food nutrients and nutraceuticals.
Key words: Plants food, Solanum indicu, Nutritional values
Introduction
Solanum indicum belongs to the family Solanaceae. Its other name
includes angirak. Iron deficiencies and infectious diseases continue to devastate
people of the developing world; non-communicable diseases attributable to
obesity are increasingly common in developed and developing countries. Diets
rich in vegetables and fruits providing micronutrients and health-promoting
phytochemicals could alleviate both under-nutrition and obesity (Ezzati et al.
2002). Most people in the world lack adequate access to vegetables even
though they are essential for good health. Insufficient vegetable and fruit
consumption causes 2.7 million deaths annually worldwide and belongs to the
top 10 risk factors contributing to mortality (Ezzati et al. 2002). Malnutrition is
rampant in the tropics where per capita vegetable supplies in most countries
falls far short of the minimum recommended 73 kg/person/year. In Iran, per
capita vegetable supplies are only 43% of what are needed, leading to
widespread malnutrition. (Freiberger et al. 1998).
There are hundreds of plant species consumed as vegetables, but only
about 20 crops are produced in intensive cropping systems (Siemonsma and
Piluek, 1997). Indigenous vegetables (IVs) are native to a particular region or
Journal of Agricultural Technology 2012 Vol. 8(3): 923-929
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ISSN 1686-9141
924
introduced to the region from another geographical area over a long period of
time. They are grown locally in a small scale, often resistant to diseases and
tolerant to environmental stresses, very nutritious and contain a vast range of
phytochemicals; however, most are neglected or under-utilized. IVs have
potential for introduction or greater use as cash crops in peri-urban systems,
vegetables for daily sustenance in home gardens, and a means to diversify
production systems and diets. Solanum indicum were found among the most
promising species according to their high antioxidant activity, high contents of
micronutrients and phytochemicals, processing properties, ease of growing and
palatability. In this paper, we present nutritional and bioactive values of
solanum indicum Fruits from germplasm, to field, to plate and to health
outcome (Kachik et al. 1992). In the present study, we investigated the
proximate and phytochemical composition of solanum indicum with a view to
unveiling its nutritional potential.
Materials and methods
Plant material
Plant foods used as experimental material were collected from farm lands
in around Behbahan, South Iran. The collected plant material was placed in a
polyethylene bag to prevent loss of moisture during transportation to the
laboratory.
Determination of the proximate composition
A part was immediately used for determining the proximate composition
of the plant. The crude protein, fat, ash, fiber and total carbohydrate contents of
the samples were determined in triplicates according to standard methods
(AOAC, 2006). The energy value was calculated using the Atwater factors of 4,
9 and 4 for protein, fat and carbohydrate respectively.
Preliminary screening of the phytochemical profile
The phytochemical screening of the sample was carried out as described
by Harbone (1973) and Sofowora (1980). It was screened for alkaloids,
saponins. Quantitative determination of polyphenols were carried out in
triplicates, using the method of AOAC (2006).
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Results and discussion
The proximate composition of Solanum indicum is given in Table 2.
Species, habitat and consumption of S. indicum are shown in Table 1. Result of
the Preliminary Qualitative Phytochemical Screening of S. indicum shown in
Table 3.
Table 1. Species, habitat and consumption of Solanum indicum L.
Botanica
name
Family Plant part(s)
used
Habitat Typical consumption Country
Solanum
indicum Linn.
Solanaceae Fruits Disturbed Regularly Iran
Table 2. Proximate composition of Solanum indicum L.
Parameters Concent. (% DW)
Ash 22.66+ 0.80
Crude Protein 23.47+ 0.27
Crude fat 5.26+ 0.50
Fibre 8.0+ 0.35
Carbohydrates 40.67+0.68
Calorific value (kcal/100g) 303.9+5.31
Total (mg/g) 7.02
Phenols +2.1
*The data are mean values+ deviation(SD) of three replicates. * Values expressed as % wet weigh
Table 3. Result of the Preliminary Qualitative Phytochemical Screening of
Solanum indicum
Phytochemical Status
Alkaloids +
Saponins ++
Key: += moderately present; ++= highly present
Nutrient and phytochemical contents plant food
We compared antioxidant and nutritional values of eight plant foods
(Yang et al. 2006). Solanum indicum and other highly nutritious plant
resources: Strategies, standards and markets for a better impact on nutrition in
Iran (Olson, 2001).
926
Nutritional Quality of the solanum indicum
Solanum indicum contained the highest amount of fibre. This edible plant
grows faster than the other species under the subtropical low lands in Iran, and
this specie is commonly consumed as a vegetable in South Asia (Freiberger et
al. 1998).
Antioxidant Content of plant food
Concentrations of total antioxidants were measured. Antioxidant content
of S. indicum was high even compared to vegetables and fruits known for high
antioxidant contents. S. indicum is an excellent source of a wide spectrum of
dietary antioxidants.
Nutrient and phytochemical contents in solanum indicum leaves as affected
by different accessions, harvesting seasons and leaf stages
Ten S.indicum accessions, selected from a survey of 60 S. indicum
accessions for yield and growth performance, were used in the study. The
plants, collected from Iran, were sown on 30 March 2004, and transplanted to
the field on 26 April 2004. Plants were grown on 6-m-long x 1.5-m-wide x 30-
cm-high raised beds, in double rows with 30 cm between rows and plants
within rows. Accessions were arranged in a RCBD with 40 plants per plot and
3 replications. No pesticide was applied. Plots were harvested for young shoots
1-2 times per week from three harvest periods: 30 June − 7 December 2004, 24
Jan – 30 March 2005, and 25 April − 15 December 2005 with about one month
interval of each harvesting period to allow mature leaves growth. The average
air temperatures and rain falls were 29.2°C (23.9 − 34.6°C) and 13.9 mm in
June 2004 as hot-wet season, 17.7°C (6.7−27.4°C) and 0.1 mm in January 2005
as cool-dry season, and 24.7°C (15.4−32.8°C) and 1.1 mm in April 2005.
Young shoots and mature leaves were collected separately from the branches
harvested the first day of the three harvest periods and sent to laboratory.
Nutrient contents and antioxidants were measured. The averaged values are
shown in Table 2. This study indicated that: (1) Variation among 10 S. indicum
accessions for nutrient contents was small (data not shown) so breeding for
higher nutrient content is not worthwhile. Varietal selection should focus on
horticultural traits. (2) Mature leaves were more nutritious than young shoots
and could be quickly dried with minimum nutrient loss; however, young shoots
exhibited better eating quality and more acceptable for the fresh market.
Journal of Agricultural Technology 2012, Vol. 8(3): 923-929
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Nutrient and phytochemical contents in solanum indicum fruits as affected
by processing temperature and simulated gastrointestinal digestion
Sun-drying in direct sunshine and under shade are the common practices
used in most parts of Iran to preserve vegetables for dry season consumption
(Lyimo et al. 1991). However ways of food preparation and preservation may
affect significantly the concentration and availability of minerals, vitamins and
other essential compounds in food. Some reports have documented the losses of
nutrients from vegetables during drying and cooking (Kachik et al. 1992 and
Kidmose et al. 2006). A low temperature oven drying process was applied to
dehydrate solanum indicum fruits.
Our previous study on in vitro iron bioavailability (IB) of vegetables
indicated that cooking increases IB of certain vegetables 2−10 times (Yang et
al., 2002). The cooking enhancing effect can be achieved with different heating
processes including boiling, stir-frying and hot-air drying. Prolonged storage of
cooked vegetables will reduce the availability of iron. In the case of cabbage,
the cooking enhancing effect was due to the reduction of iron-polyphenol
interaction, which commonly occurs during plant cell destruction. The nature of
the enhancing factors in these vegetables was similar to the effect of EDTA,
which stabilizes iron when it is released from cell (Yang and Tsou, 2006). In he
case of solanum indicum, boiling in water enhanced the in vitro IB of fresh
leaves and dried powder by 3.5 and 3 times, respectively. Cooking solanum
indicum fruits also raised total available iron of mixtures with other food items
(Yang et al. 2006). In addition, boiling solanum indicum fruits in water
enhanced aqueous antioxidant activity (AOA), and the AOA was maintained
after simulated digestion.
Immune modulation of dried solanum indicum powder in diets for human
use and livestock production
Intervention with a diet containing 5% solanum indicum powder was
investigated using a rat model and compared to a 5% common cabbage diet,
and a nutrient-sufficient diet without vegetable. After 3 weeks, the preliminary
result (data not shown) indicated that the Solanum indicum diet lightly reduced
blood triglycerides and enhanced immune response due to increased peripheral
and splenocyte T-cell proliferations. The preliminary study implies the
consumption of Solanum indicum may increase immune response of nutrientsufficient
subjects. In addition, consumption of nutrient and phytochemical-rich
vegetables, like solanum indicum, leads to a better immune response compared
to consumption of vegetables that are rich in fiber but lower in nutrient or
phytochemical content, like common cabbage. Solanum indicum should be
928
promoted for greater consumption for human use to improve nutrition and
strengthen immune functions. The effects of dehydrated leaves of solanum
indicum in the diets of broilers were also investigated. The trial included 5
treatments (diet without solanum indicum and diets containing 0.5%, 1%, 2%
and 3% dried leaves) with 3 replications and 4 broilers per replication. Twentyone
day old broilers were housed in wire cages for one week adaptation
followed by a 3-week-experimental feeding period. Growth performance,
immune function and ileum microflora were evaluated. The results (data not
shown) indicated that solanum indicum diets significantly (1) enhanced
duodenum traits; (2) increased concentrations of total globulin, γ-globulin and
IgA, lymphocyte ratio, antibody titer to sheep erythrocytes, and delayed type
hypersensitivity (3) reduced E. coli and increased Lactobacillus counts in
ileum. In conclusion, S. indicum leaves are potential plant material to enhance
immune responses and improve intestinal health of broilers. The efficacy of S.
indicum as bioceutical agents to substitute for antibiotic use for broiler
production would be further examined.
Promotion of solanum indicum for greater production and consumption
High nutrients and antioxidants are common features of S. indicum.
However, leaf stages and harvesting seasons can change their nutritional values
1.5 − 3 times. Variation among S. indicum accessions for nutrient contents
were small, varietal selection should focus on horticulture traits. Cooked S.
indicum provide more bio-available iron. Mild-heat drying process (50 °C/ 16
hours) maintained most nutrients and bioactives in S. indicum and could be
achieved by low-cost household preparation as a simple and effective way for
continuous nutrients/bioactives supply. The dried leaves provide many kinds
and types of nutrients and bioactives, which would lead to better nutrition and
health.
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(Published in May 2012)
