Evaluation of the Phytochemical and Mineral Characteristics of Some Selected Sapotaceae Plants

Aims: To study the spectral and thermal characteristics, and the oil, starch, polyphenol and mineral contents of seeds and leaves from three Sapotaceae species, provided that trees and shrubs of this family are an important source of nutritional and functional products.

Methodology: Leaves and seeds from three Sapotaceae plants, namely Moa tree (Madhuca indica J. F. Gmel.), Chico sapote (Manilkara zapota (Linn.) van Royen) and Spanish cherry (Mimusops elengi Linn.), were collected in the Raipur area of Chhattisgarh, India. Their physicochemical characterization (including oil, polyphenol, starch and mineral contents; functional groups; and thermal degradation patterns) was carried out by using various techniques, viz. solvent extraction, spectrophotometry, enzymatic digestion, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies, thermogravimetric/derivative thermogravimetric (TG/DTG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively.

Results: The three Sapotaceae seeds under study were found to contain polyphenol, mineral, starch and oil contents in the 1850–23180 mg/kg, 11390–19385 mg/kg, 6.7–9.1% and 9.8-54.1% range, respectively. Their leaves and seed coats featured total phenolic contents in the 24260–28600 mg/kg and 7810–23060 mg/kg range, respectively, and mineral contents in the 8823–27462 mg/kg and 3619–15884 mg/kg range, respectively. The functional groups of the phytochemicals, studied by FTIR, were assigned. Their thermal decomposition patterns, which involved loss of water and volatile organic compounds, proteins, oil and starch/cellulose, were also described.

Conclusion: The Sapotaceae leaves, seed coat, kernel and cake are enriched with very high contents of starch, proteins, polyphenols and minerals, suggesting their possible valorization in human food, animal feeding and as herbal medicines.