In vitro functional properties of crude extracts and isolated compounds from banana pseudostem and rhizome.

BACKGROUND: Pseudostem and rhizome are the significant bio-waste generated (43.48%) from the banana plant post fruit harvest, which are usually left in the plantation or incinerated and wasted. Amounts used in production for consumption are negligible. However, the material has an important part to play in indigenous systems of medicine. Based on the huge volume of bio-waste generated and its traditional medicinal use, it is worth exploiting it as a source of natural bioactive compounds. In the current study, sequential extracts from banana pseudostem (BPS) and rhizome (BR), and isolated compounds including chlorogenic acid, 4-epicyclomusalenone and cycloeucalenol acetate, were tested for their antimicrobial activity, antiplatelet aggregation and cytotoxicity. RESULTS: Isolated compounds and crude extracts exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against a wide range of bacterial and fungal strains, platelet aggregation induced by collagen and cytotoxicity towards human liver cancer (HepG2) cells. CONCLUSION: Banana plant bio-waste, pseudostem and rhizome may serve as a potential source of multifunctional bioactive compounds and functional ingredient in food and other allied industries.

Antioxidant properties of isolated compounds from banana rhizome.

UNLABELLED: In this study, we attempted to explore banana rhizome (BR) as a source of natural bioactive compounds. Dried BR powder was subjected to sequential extraction using solvents with increasing polarity and studied for antioxidant activities. Chloroform and acetone extracts were selected for isolation and identification of bioactive compounds because of their high antioxidant properties. Antioxidant activity guided fractionation of these extracts yielded 3 compounds. The spectroscopy studies revealed the identity of isolated compounds as 4-epicyclomusalenone, cycloeucalenol acetate and chlorogenic acid. Polyphenolic compound chlorogenic acid and triterpenoid compounds, 4-cyclomusalenone and cycloeucalenol acetate displayed multifunctional antioxidant activity. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The isolated compounds namely 4-epicyclomusalenone, cycloeucalenol acetate and chlorogenic acid have demonstrated their antioxidant properties in different in vitro assay models. The present study indicated that the vast quantity of banana rhizome which was incinerated could be a potential source of natural antioxidant compounds. This can also be used in the food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries.

Potential nutraceutical food beverage with antioxidant properties from banana plant bio-waste (pseudostem and rhizome).

Banana plant biomass waste, viz. pseudostem (BPS) and rhizome (BR), contribute 30.81 and 12.67 per cent respectively. A negligible percentage of these were used for fresh consumption, otherwise they are waste and incinerated. In order to utilize these bio-wastes in a bioactive perspective, nutritional and nutraceutical components were studied from the juices and its Ready-To-Serve (RTS) beverage. When compared to BPS juice, BR juice showed higher total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of 341.44 mgGAE and 87.60 mgCE/200 µL, respectively, and concomitantly exhibited high antioxidant activity (AOA) in all the assays tested, viz. DPPH radical scavenging activity (82.93%), superoxide radical scavenging activity (49.45%), metal chelation activity (48.32%) total reducing power (0.846 OD at 700 nm) and total antioxidant capacity (928 mmol ascorbic acid equivalents). High quantity of polyphenols present in BR juice resulted high AOA. Strong positive correlations were observed between TPC and TFC of BPS and BR juice with AOA assays. Among the different concentrations of RTS beverages prepared, 25% BPS juice and 20% BR juice with 15°brix TSS and 0.3% acidity were adjudged as best by sensory panelists. Thus, BPS and BR juice can be effectively used to produce new generation functional beverages.