Nutritional and bioactive potential of a coastal sedge cyperus bulbosus vahl

Abstract

Food insecurity is a problem of global concern to day. Globally newlinemajority of food plants are wild and they are either neglected or underutilized. newlineExploiting the large reservoir of minor underutilized crop plants would newlineprovide food necessary to address food and nutrition. For the present study newlineone such underutilized tuber plant distributed in Indian coast line Cyperus newlinebulbosus is selected and its nutritional and bioactivity potentials are newlineevaluated. The nutrient analysis of raw and boiled tubers indicates that the newlinetubers are rich in proximate composition, minerals, good carbohydrate profile, newlinebalanced amino acid composition and a fatty acid profile with high newlineconcentration of unsaturated fatty acids. The antinutrient factors are within newlinethe adequate fence and not of nutritional concern. The phytochemical profile newlineof oil and plant and tuber extracts are studied by preliminary phytochemical newlinescreening, HPTLC finger print, FT-IR and GC-MS analysis and many newlinebioactive compounds are identified. The plant and tuber extracts exhibit newlineconsiderable antioxidant activity in a dose dependent manner. The extracts are newlineproved to have good antibacterial activity against gram positive and gram newlinenegative bacteria studied. The in vitro cytotoxic potential of the extracts are newlineevaluated against He La cells. The mosquito repellent activity is also newlineevaluated using two Anopheles species. In the pharmacological studies carried newlineout, the extracts of Cyperus bulbosus are found to have hepatoprotective and newlineantiinflammatory potential. Cyperus bulbosus can be used as a healthy food newlinefor human due to their nutritional and functional properties. newline