Phytochemicals and antioxidant properties of the leaves of wild guava varieties grown in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Guava (Psidium guajava Linn.) is well-known throughout the world for its food, nutritional, and medicinal properties. Several guava cultivars/varieties are available in Sri Lanka, which can be classified as common, wild, or introduced. Though common guava has been extensively studied for its phytochemistry and pharmacology, only a few studies on wild varieties has been available so far. Therefore, this study focused on the investigation of phytochemical constituents and antioxidants capacity of two main wild guava varieties grown in Sri Lanka namely, Psidium guajava (cv. Getta-pera) and Psidium guineense (cv. Embul-pera). An Ultrasound-assisted-extraction technique was used to extract plant constituents, and water was used as the solvent. The phytochemicals were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed using standard methods whereas the antioxidant capacity was determined using the DPPH and FRAP assays. Phytochemical screening revealed that both varieties contain most of the important phytochemicals. Though both showed higher anti-oxidant activity, Embul-pera had the highest in both the FRAP and DPPH assays, with 612.69±0.50 mg Trolox Eq/g and IC50 value of 191.69±0.25 ppm respectively. The highest level of all quantified phytochemicals, particularly polyphenolic content (327.87±0.23 mg GAE/g extract) was found in Embul-pera. As a conclusion, two wild guava varieties considered in the study contain a diverse phytochemical profile and higher antioxidant properties similarity to the common guava. It can be recommended that Getta-pera" and "Embul-pera" are excellent alternatives to be used in functional foods and nutraceuticals preparation and hence to promote the cultivation as economic plants.