Phytochemical Screening, Proximate Analysis and Anti-Oxidant Activities of Ripe and Unripe Plantain Powder of <i>Musa paradisiaca</i> and <i>Musa accuminata</i>

Abstract

The objective of the research work was to compare the phytochemical constituents, macronutrients and the antioxidant activities of two species of the unripe and ripe methanolic extracts of Musa paradisiaca and Musa accuminata flour. The phytochemical screening was carried out using standard procedures, while the radical scavenging ability was carried out using the stable radical 1,1-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The phytochemical screening revealed that the unripe M. Paradisiaca powder contains steroids, terpenoids and saponins, whereas the ripe M. Paradisiaca powder contains volatile oil, while both the ripe and unripe M. Paradisiaca contain triterpenoids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids and carbohydrates. The ripe M. accuminata powder contains steroids, terpenoids, glycosides and balsams, while the unripe M. accuminata does not contain any of these but both the ripe and unripe M. accuminata powder contain triterpenoids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids, carbohydrates and saponins. The proximate composition (%) of the plantain powder are; (2.38) ash, (8.40) moisture, (0.64) crude protein, (0.77) crude fibre, (0.14) crude lipid, and (87.67) carbohydrate for the unripe powder of M. paradisiaca. (2.30) ash, (9.97) moisture, (0.55) crude protein, (1.00) crude lipid and (86.02) carbohydrate for the ripe powder. While, (3.23) ash, (10.97) moisture, (0.74) crude protein, (1.57) crude fibre, (0.16) crude lipid and (84.90) carbohydrate were obtained for the unripe powder of M. accuminata. The ripe powder has (3.36) ash, (12.15) moisture, (1.08) crude protein, (1.87) crude fibre, (0.15) crude lipid and (81.39) carbohydrate. The unripe powder of Musa paradisiaca shows more scavenging activity on DPPH radical than the unripe powder of Musa accuminata.