Antioxidant activity of Ghanaian underutilized crops

Bc. Adéla Pěnkavová

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Oxidative stress is a significant contributor to major non-communicable chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. These are on the rise in developing countries including Ghana, due to an increasing dependence on staple crops that are energy rich but nutrient poor. Fruit-based nutritional supplements contain antioxidants which can reduce the impact of oxidative stress. There is a great potential of finding new sources of antioxidants among NUS traditionally utilized by small-scale farmers which are often high in macro- and micronutrients. In frame of this thesis, ethnobotanical data of selected fruits and vegetables NUS species from Ghana were collected. Subsequently, their in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated using the DPPH and ORAC assays. According to the collected ethnobotanical data, fruit of Chrysophyllum albidum is the most popular for consumption among local people. Furthermore, mesocarp of C. albidum showed the highest antioxidant activity with the IC50 value of 18.54 ± 0.27 µg/ml in the ORAC assay. The mesocarp of Chrysophyllum subnudum showed remarkably high activity in the DPPH assay with the IC50 value of 45.18 ± 8.61 µg/ which is the first report on its antioxidant activity. These findings may serve as a basis for further development of new food products for the prevention of some oxidative stress-associated diseases.

Keywords

Underutilized crops, Neglected crops, DPPH assay, ORAC assay, Antioxidants

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 22. 4. 2022

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: prof. Ing. Ladislav Kokoška, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme:
Tropical Crop Management and Ecology