Evaluation of nutritional, phytochemical and antioxidant properties of Garcinia pedunculata fruit

This study investigates the nutritional and phytochemical composition of matured fresh fruit of Garcinia pedunculata, emphasizing its antioxidant properties. The proximate analysis reveals the fruit is composed of 89.44% moisture, 0.535% crude protein, 0.242% crude fat, 0.436% ash, 3.15% crude fiber, and 3.31% carbohydrates. Titratable acidity and Vitamin C content were measured at 2.89% and 36.98 mg/100g, respectively. Phenolic and flavonoid content analyses show that the ethanolic extract of the aril contains the highest concentrations, followed by the pulp. The aril’s water extract also demonstrated superior phenolic and flavonoid levels compared to earlier studies. The antioxidant capacity was assessed using ABTS and DPPH assays, with the ethanolic extract of the aril exhibiting the highest activity, as indicated by lower IC50 values (102.9±2.8 μg/ml for ethanolic and 158±6.6 μg/ml for water extracts). The ABTS assay displayed higher sensitivity than the DPPH assay, consistent with previous findings. These results highlight Garcinia pedunculata as a rich source of polyphenols and flavonoids, contributing its antioxidant activity.