Nutritional composition of some selected wild mangrove fruits of Sundarbans

Abstract

Present study consists of the chemical composition and phenolic compound identification of some common wild fruits in Sundarbans mangrove. Five mangrove fruits exhibited high percentage of carbohydrates (27.25-62.9), protein (1.2-45.48), lipid (1.75-4.31) and ascorbic acid (0.013-0.032%). Occurrence of 1.70-12.35% phenolic compounds in fruits reflects their higher antioxidant capacity. ESI-MS were used to identify the occurrence of phenolic compounds in Heriteira fomes and Bruguiera parviflora and results revealed that catechin was the commonly occurring major flavonol. Hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (p-coumarylhexose-4-hexoside) and quinic acid were also identified as minor components. Higher range of nutritive value (271.4- 330.16 kcal/100g) and comparative study with some commercial fruits together suggested that wild mangrove fruits are edible like conventional popular fruits.