Fatty Acid Composition, Acetylcholinesterase and Bacterial Inhibition by Inga cinnamomea Pulp

Abstract

Inga cinnamomea, a species from Fabaceae family, posses a convex-cylindrical fruit that has a white, slightly sweet, edible pulp, which is very appreciated in Brazil. The present study seeks to expand the knowledge about this fruit. The vegetable oil of the fruit’s pulp, extracted in a Soxhlet extractor using hexane as solvent, was studied. Fatty acids were determined, after oil hydrolysis and methylation, using gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Additionally, the oil was tested to determine its potential as acetylcholinesterase inhibitor using Eserine as positive control. Bactericidal potential of the oil was also determined. Both assays were accomplished using Elisa spectrophotometer. Eight major fatty acids were detected in the following concentrations: linoleic (ω6) (31.7%), palmitic (26.2%), linolenic (ω3) (13.6%), oleic (ω9) (12.5%), stearic (6.5%), palmitoleic (ω7) (2.0%), myristic (0.6%) and arachidic (0.6%) acids. The oil inhibitory activity towards acetylcholinesterase enzyme was 54.81%, being classified as a potent effect. Finally, the oil presented a modest inhibitory activity against the following bacterial strains: Staphylococcus aureus (24.68%), Citrobacter freundii (20.46%), Listeria monocytogenes (27.26%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (26.89%).