Pallabi Kalita
National Institute of Technology, India
Title: Evaluation of the Nutritional Potential and GC-MS Analysis of Acmella paniculata (Wall. ex DC.) R.K Jansen from Arunachal Pradesh (Eastern Himalayas)
Biography
Biography: Pallabi Kalita
Abstract
Acmella paniculata (Wall. ex DC.) R.K. Jansen (syn. Spilanthes paniculata DC.) a food plant of Arunachal Pradesh, belonging to the family Compositae (Asteraceae) is reported to be used frequently as food and medicinal agent by various indigenous communities of Arunachal Pradesh and many other parts of the world. It has been used in ancient system of medicine for the treatment of a number of diseases viz. toothache, rheumatism, fever, skin diseases, purgation, urinary tract infection, pulverization of kidney and gall stones, remedy for stammering in children. The evaluation of nutrient composition of the leaves showed that it is highly rich in nutrients and therefore good for human consumption for the maintenance of health and vitality. Nutritional potential of Acmella paniculata was carried out from eight distant locations of Arunachal Pradesh. Proximate analysis such as moisture, organic matter, crude protein, crude lipid & ash percent was carried out for the selected plant. Some mineral ions like calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), potassium (K) & phosphorus (P) was calculated for the plant. Proximate analysis showed the plant having high levels of organic matter & protein. However the plant did not show significant levels of lipid content. Among the mineral ions Ca was found to be highest in the plant. Phosphorus (P) level was comparatively lower followed by potassium (K) and sodium (Na) showed the least percentage among all minerals. Preliminary phytochemical screening through different solvents inferred that methanol fraction showed maximum presence of alkaloids and other secondary metabolites like steroids, proteins, polyphenols. Further GC-MS studies of the methanolic fraction of Acmella paniculata (Wall. ex DC.) R.K Jansen identified the compounds based on direct comparison of the retention times and mass spectral data with those for standard compounds indicates the plant to be a source of phytochemical importance. The plant may be considered as a potential source for formulation of useful drugs for targeting different diseases.
