Nutrient profiling, ICP-OES mineral analysis and UPLC estimation of amino acids in three selected ethnomedicinal plants of North East India

Ethnomedicinal plants are rich traditional resources of Northeast India. Most of these plants are edible and are used as food by the tribal population of Northeast India. Quantitative nutritional analyses of three ethnomedicinal wild edible plant from Northeast India namely: Zanthoxylum oxyphyllum Edgew, Rotheca serrata (L.) Steane and Mabb. and Blumea lanceolaria (Roxb.) Druce were carried out to identify the occurrence and abundance of nutrients, minerals and amino acids.

Proximate nutrients were estimated by standard AOAC methods. ICP-OES mineral analyzer was used to screen and quantify individual mineral elements. By performing UPLC analysis the presence and abundance of amino acids were investigated.

Proximate analysis revealed that the plant species contains adequate amounts of protein, fibre and ash. From nutritional perspectives, low fat and carbohydrate in these species specifies that they are desirable diet for human nutrition. In regard to mineral content, the plant species were rich in macro minerals K, Ca, Na and Mg. Heavy metals were found within the recommended dietary permissible limits for humans. All the essential and non essential amino acids excluding cysteine, methionine and histidine were present in reasonable quantities. The plant species may be exploited to provide quality diets to mitigate nutrient deficiency. Adding together its nutritional and medicinal properties it may potentially be utilized in therapeutics. The further scope of the research involves ascertaining their potentiality in food-based strategies to perk up nutritional health.