Dillenia indica L. Fruits Cultivated in Egypt: Nutritional Features.

Ebrahim, Hanaa Salah; El-Hawary, Seham Salah Eldin; Ahmed, Gihan Fouad; Abd El-Kadder, Essam Mostafa; Issa, Marwa Yousry

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2024.315326.10264

Dillenia indica L. Fruits Cultivated in Egypt: Nutritional Features.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ National Nutrition Institute, General Organization For Teaching Hospitals and Institutes, Cairo, Egypt

² Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

³ Timber Trees Department, Horticulture Research Institute, Agriculture Research center, Giza, Egypt

10.21608/ejchem.2024.315326.10264

Abstract

South Asia is the home to many tropical trees, most famously the elephant apple (Dillenia indica L.). Mostly found in Assam, in the northeast of India and not grown for commercial purposes, elephant apples are used in many different culinary recipes in their native country. The current study aims to characterize the nutritional and biochemical properties of the fruit constituents. The ethanol extract physicochemical properties and phytochemical screening study were presented. The fruit is proved to have considerable concentrations of flavonoids and phenolics. The fruit fatty matter analysis exposed that carbohydrates were more than 50%. Additionally, lupeol and betulin were the main terpenoids. Arachidic acid was the dominant fatty acid. Advanced nutritive value detection demonstrated the presence of minerals and vitamins, while potassium (11667 mg/kg) and vitamin A (1.30 µg/g) were the leading. Furthermore, apigenin (661.6 µg/g) and ellagic acid (1064.71µg/g) were the highest flavonoids and phenolics. The study revealed glycine (3780.77 µg/g) as the prominent amino acid for the first time, in addition to eight essential amino acids. The fruits offer special nutritional significance. Beyond its dietary value, D. indica fruit has been associated with other health benefits.

Keywords