Abstract

PROXIMAL COMPOSITION OF CREPIDOMANES INTRAMARGINALE (HOOKER & GREVILLE) COPELAND. AND ITS FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES

Greeshma GM and Murugan K*

ABSTRACT

Lower plants such as algae, bryophytes and ferns that are having high nutritive value are used as food in several countries. Usually in ferns crosiers of unopened fronds or fiddleheads are eaten as green vegetables. Crepidomanes intramarginale (Hooker & Greville) Copeland. a member of filmy fern is used as the plant material. Fresh leaves are subjected to proximate analysis including determination of some functional properties. The proximate analysis shows that the leaves have remarkable levels of sugar and protein contents. The amino acids such as phenylalanine and isoleucine showed a substantial level suggesting the fern as a source for essential amino acids. Similarly, compounds like flavonoids, ascorbate, α- tocopherol and β-carotene were present in optimal levels. The antinutritional parameters such as total phenols were high when compared to phytic acid and tannic acid which showed meagre levels. Further the FTIR fingerprinting was also analysed revealing a range of peaks representing the presence of different compounds. And the antioxidant potentiality was evaluated using DPPH and FRAP assay which revealed remarkable free radical scavenging activity. The high antioxidant potentiality shown by the plant may due to the high phenolic content, flavonoids and low molecular weight antioxidant compounds like carotenes, ascorbate and tocopherols. These results shows that the fern have optimal level of nutritive factors coupled with nutraceutical compounds such as flavonoids, ascorbate, α-tocopherol and β-carotene revealing that the plant is favourable for human consumption. Further, the finding partially validates the traditional knowledge of the local people about the goodness of consumption of the plant required more research works.

Keywords: Crepidomanes intramarginale, proximal composition, antioxidants, polyphenols.