Biochemical and Nutritional Evaluation of Morinda citrifolia (Noni) at Different Maturity Stages

Morinda citrifolia is an important medicinal plant found in many countries of the world. It has a wide range of chemical constituents which makes it an effective health enhancer. Present study is concerned with morphological and nutritional investigation of Noni fruit at three different developmental stages that is-mature, semi mature and immature. Morphological investigation showed variation in almost all charactersof fruit samples including colour and firmness. Physico-chemical investigations exhibit variation in pH and conductivity. The chemical composition of fruit extract at different maturity stages possessed variation in the concentration of carbohydrates (1.2–2.4mg/gm fresh fruit), protein (0.7–1.8mg/gm fresh fruit), vitamin-C (0.4–0.7mg/gm fresh fruit), crude fiber (45.9–31.8%) and ash value (4.6–13.7%). It was also found that the free radical scavenging activity was higher in mature fruit (69.9%) over that of the semi mature and immature stages. It was also further noticed that mineral compositions like Calcium (2121ppm), Sodium (479ppm), Potassium(281ppm), Nitrogen (2100ppm), Manganese (16.8ppm) and Iron (231.4ppm) contents were higher in immature stage when compared to semi mature and mature stages. The other important elemental analysis during fruit developmental stages witnessed elevated level of Copper (15–19.6ppm) and Phosphorus (58-81ppm) in semi mature and mature stages. In a net-shell report, the mature fruit exhibited superior in minerals and nutrients contents. It is pertinent from the present study, harvesting of mature fruits would be ideal for preparation of herbal medicines/tonic.