Docynia Indica Research Articles

Comparative biochemical evaluation of the proximate content, antioxidant properties, and phytochemical constituents of ethnomedicinally important Docynia indica from Northeast India

Comparative biochemical evaluation of the proximate content, antioxidant properties, and phytochemical constituents of ethnomedicinally important Docynia indica from Northeast India

Impact of Climate Change on Fruit Production: Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies in Northeast Himalayan Region

Numerous horticulture crops, both well-known and less well-known underutilized fruit crops native to this region, are grown in abundance in the north-eastern Himalayan region. If grown to their full capacity, these crops will produce significant revenue and contribute to the local economy. There is however, a decrease in their availability even before being fully exploited due to losses resulting from many factors including climate change and related variability. The primary consequence of climate change, among many others, is the changes in the agro-ecological region that are observable in some places where there is the replacement of native fruits, many of which originated at higher elevations, with low chilling-required fruits. In the Ukhrul district of Manipur (Northeast India), the abundance of many local temperate crops of the Prunus species such as peaches, plums, cherries, pears, bird cherry (Prunus nepalensis) and others like walnut, wild apple (Docynia indica), Pyrus pashia, Myrica spp., Rhus semialatus, Rubus spp., Eleagnus spp., Elaeocarpus floribundus, Spondias axillaris, etc. are reduced and being replaced by low chilling requiring crops like kiwi, avocado, low chilling apples (Anna, Golden Dorsett, HRMN 99) and area under these crops particularly kiwi is increasing. In household gardens at higher altitudes, tropical fruits like mango, banana and guava are now thriving; in the past, the harsh winter frosts made it impossible even for the seedlings to survive. Despite employing rootstocks that are more resistant to higher temperature, kiwi is replacing the apple-growing regions in the foothills of Bomdila and Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh, since the requisite quality is not achieved.

Agroforestry with contour planting of grass contributes to terrace formation and conservation of soil and nutrients on sloping land

In hilly areas, agroforestry can be a more sustainable way of producing food and other products and services than agriculture based on sole-cropping. However, research is needed to evaluate and quantify formation of natural terraces in agroforestry and their contribution to soil conservation. This study quantified natural terrace formation and examined its role in reducing soil and nutrient losses during early stages of agroforestry with fruit trees, contour grass strips and maize or coffee in agroforestry systems on sloping land in northwest Vietnam. Two agroforestry systems, comprising longan (Dimocarpus longan L.)-mango (Mangifera indica L.)-maize (Zea mays L.)-guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.) (fruit-maize-AF) and son tra (Docynia indica (Wall.) Decne.)-coffee (Coffea arabica L.)-guinea grass (fruit-coffee-AF) were compared with sole-cropped maize (sole-maize) and sole-cropped coffee (sole-coffee), respectively. Terrace formation was evaluated over five years using erosion pins placed above grass strips and the volume of terrace formed was estimated. Soil and nutrient losses were quantified using soil traps. The results showed that terraces formed as the systems developed, through gradual deposition of soil sediment above the living grass strips and trees. Accumulated soil sedimentation above the grass strips during the five-year study period raised the soil surface by 4.0 cm in fruit-maize-AF and 4.2 cm in fruit-coffee-AF, and the volume of terraces generated by the grass strips was 0.26 and 0.43 m3/m respectively. The fruit-maize-AF and fruit-coffee-AF systems significantly reduced losses of soil, soil organic carbon (SOC) and associated nutrients (N, P, K) compared with sole-maize and sole-coffee already in the first two years, while the reductions were greater from year 3 onwards. On average across experiments and years, the agroforestry systems reduced soil, SOC, N, P and K losses by 27–76%, 21–78%, 20–82%, 24–82% and 22–84%, respectively. These findings show that agroforestry with fruit trees, grass strips and crops could be a useful management practice and viable option for sustainable agricultural systems on sloping land, by reducing soil (and carbon and nutrient) losses through terrace formation.

Chloroplast genome phylogeny and codon preference of Docynia longiunguis

Docynia longiunguis is a plant uniquely present in China and is of high edible and medicinal value. The analysis of its chloroplast genome will help clarify the phylogenetic relationship among Docynia and facilitate the development and utilization of D. longiunguis resources. Based on the alignment of chloroplast genome sequences of related species, the phylogeny and codon preference were analyzed. The total length of D. longiunguis chloroplast genome sequence was 158 914 bp (GenBank accession number is MW367027), with an average GC content of 36.7%. The length of the large single-copy (LSC), the small single-copy (SSC), and inverted repeats (IRs) are 87 020 bp, 19 156 bp, and 26 369 bp, respectively. A total of 102 functional genes were annotated, including 72 protein-coding genes, 26 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. The best model for constructing phylogenetic tree was TVM+F+R2. D. longiunguis and Docynia indica were clustered into a single group, while Docynia and Malus were clustered into a single group. Comparison of the chloroplast genome sequences of D. longiunguis and its five related species revealed that trnY (GUA)-psbD, ndhC-trnV (UAC), accD-psaI, psbZ-trnfM (CAU), ndhF-trnL gene regions varied greatly. The nucleic acid diversity analysis showed that there were 11 high variation areas with nucleotide variability > 0.01, all were located in the LSC and SSC regions. Except for D. longiunguis, the trnH genes in other sequences were located at the IRs/LSC junction and did not cross the boundary. Codon preference analysis showed that D. longiunguis chloroplast genome has the largest number of isoleucine (Ile) codons, up to 1 205. D. longiunguis has the closest genetic relationship with Malus baccata, Malus sieboldii, Malus hupehensis and Chaenomeles sinensis. Its chloroplast genome codon prefers to end with A/T. The chloroplast genome of D. longiunguis and other Rosaceae chloroplast genomes showed great differences in gene distribution in four boundary regions, while relatively small differences from the chloroplast genomes of Docynia delavayi and D. indica of the same genus were observed. The genome annotation, phylogenetic analysis and sequence alignment of chloroplast genome of D. longiunguis may facilitate the identification, development and utilization of this species.

A Comprehensive Review on the Endemic Plant Docynia indica: Its Ethnobotanical, Phytochemical, and Ethnomedicinal Perspective

Ethnobotanical knowledge and ethnomedicinal methodologies from different parts of the world are of comprehensive significance and documentation of ethnobotanical, and ethnomedicinal data is a key prerequisite for further research in the domain of herbal medicine and its implementation in modern clinical research. The important sources of beneficial natural products and ethnomedicinal elements are majorly contributed by the wild edible fruits. The Docynia indica is a wild edible fruit that belongs to the Rosaceae family and mainly disseminates in the eastern region of the Himalayas. Since immemorial time Docynia indica is an integral part of ethnomedicine and traditionally implemented for treating innumerable health diseases. It is a valuable ethnomedicinal plant with important sources of minerals and vitamins and is conventionally used for treating common ailments. In the traditional system of medicine, it is regarded as a wonderful prophylactic for combating enteric diseases. The natural compounds extracted from the fruits of Docynia indica contain polyphenol especially alkaloids and flavonoids which significantly have an antihyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic property. The wild edible fruits are underemphasized despite their fascinating ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal characteristics. Similarly, Docynia indica is a less explored endemic fruit that contains eminent natural compounds and ethnomedicinal importance. Though it is less popular in urban regions but in ethnic groups it is a key component in indigenous traditional medicine system. This article mainly discusses the morphological features and phytochemical constitutes of Docynia indica and ethnobotanical characteristics highlighting the ethnomedicinal perspective.

Processing Effect on Antioxidant Composition of Processed Products of Wild Edible Fruits of Sikkim Himalayas

The processing effect on the processed products of wild edible fruits found in Sikkim Himalayas namely Chuirri (Diploknema butyracea), Achuk (Hippophae salicifolia), Mehel (Docynia indica), Muslendi (Elaeagnus latifolia) and Famphal (Machilus edulis) was quantified in this study. The value of the fruits is high enough to contribute and enhance the nutrient daily requirements of humans. Therefore, a study to assess the loss or change in their antioxidant composition before and after processing was carried out. The phytochemical characteristics of the fruits were analyzed according to standard methods on both the fresh and its various processed products. Comparing all the five wild fruits and their processed products, it was observed that there was a significant loss of nutrients during processing which occurred in its bioactive compound and composition of their processed foods. Although it has a potential to be a source of antioxidants, other nutrients also implement for utilization as food preserves and consumed in the form of food supplements. It will be promote the nutritional potential of the wild fruits as well as add value to the processed products among local people for consumer acceptability which can be further fortified as export items and to uplift the socio-economic status of the local community.

Biotransformation of Phlorizin by Eurotium cristatum to Increase the Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Docynia indica Leaves.

Docynia indica is used as a plant resource for both medicine and food in minority areas of southwestern China and Southeast of Asia, especially Docynia indica leaves, which are often used as a kind of functional tea in daily life. In our previous research, it has found that D. indica is rich in polyphenols (mainly phlorizin (PHZ)). Although PHZ is the first polyphenolic competitive inhibitor of sodium-dependent glucose transporters (SGLTs) to be discovered, the promotion and application of PHZ are limited due to its extremely low bioavailability. As a kind of aglycons, phloretin (PHT) possesses a better bioavailability and bioactivity than PHZ. Therefore, the conversion of PHZ to PHT in D. indica leaves by the method of biotransformation can be applied to solve the above issue. In this study, Aspergillus niger and Eurotium cristatum were used to transform PHZ to PHT in D. indica. Compared with Aspergillus niger, Eurotium cristatum can cause the equimolar conversion of PHZ to PHT. However, Aspergillus niger resulted in the complete degradation of PHZ. In the process of deep fermentation, PHZ in D. indica leaves was gradually biotransformed into PHT, and its content was as high as ~ 12% after fermentation. With the increase of PHT content, the antioxidant and antibacterial activity of Docynia indica leaves increased. By the acute toxicity evaluation, it was confirmed that Docynia indica leaves and Eurotium cristatum fermented leaves were much safer. These results indicate that Eurotium cristatum fermentation has the ability to transform the functional compounds in Docynia indica leaves and increase the antioxidant and antibacterial activity of Docynia indica, thus making it a substitute for PHT and functional tea.

Fruit Tree-Based Agroforestry Systems for Smallholder Farmers in Northwest Vietnam—A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment

Rapid expansion of unsustainable farming practices in upland areas of Southeast Asia threatens food security and the environment. This study assessed alternative agroforestry systems for sustainable land management and livelihood improvement in northwest Vietnam. The performance of fruit tree-based agroforestry was compared with that of sole cropping, and farmers’ perspectives on agroforestry were documented. After seven years, longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.)-maize-forage grass and son tra (Docynia indica (Wall.) Decne)-forage grass systems had generated 2.4- and 3.5-fold higher average annual income than sole maize and sole son tra, respectively. Sole longan gave no net profit, due to high investment costs. After some years, competition developed between the crop, grass, and tree components, e.g., for nitrogen, and the farmers interviewed reported a need to adapt management practices to optimise spacing and pruning. They also reported that agroforestry enhanced ecosystem services by controlling surface runoff and erosion, increasing soil fertility and improving resilience to extreme weather. Thus, agroforestry practices with fruit trees can be more profitable than sole-crop cultivation within a few years. Integration of seasonal and fast-growing perennial plants (e.g., grass) is essential to ensure quick returns. Wider adoption needs initial incentives or loans, knowledge exchange, and market links.

Soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors from Docynia indica (Wall.) Decne.

Nine bioactive compounds, including one new dihydroisocoumarin glycoside, 3S-thunberginol C 6-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1a/1b), were isolated by chromatographic separation from the fruits of the Vietnamese medicinal plant Docynia indica (Wall.) Decne. 3S-thunberginol C 6-O-β-D-glucopyranoside was determined as a mixture of boat-like conformers based on NMR evidence and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The in vitro inhibition of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) by the isolated compounds was comparable to that of AUDA (positive control), yielding IC50 values ranging from 10.0 ± 0.6 to 88.4 ± 0.2 µM. Among isolated compounds, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-benzoic acid (7) and 2′,6′-dihydroxy 3′,4′-dimethoxychalcone (9) were identified as a potent inhibitor of sEH, with IC50 values of 19.3 ± 2.2 and 10.0 ± 0.6 mM, respectively. These results suggest that the fruits of D. indica may be useful as daily supplements for the prevention of cardiovascular and other sEH-related diseases.

Optimization of Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Total Phenolic and Total Flavonoid Contents from Fruits of Docynia indica (Wall.) Decne. Using Response Surface Methodology

Docynia indica (D. indica) shows various useful biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial effects, and positive benefits for human health. Such biological activities relate to the main phytochemicals of D. indica including phenolic and flavonoid. However, isolation for phenolic and flavonoid by popular methods such as hot extraction, soxhlet extraction, and ultrasonic extraction have been relatively ineffective. Therefore, in this study, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was used for the extraction of total phenolic and total flavonoid from D. indica. The optimization experiments were conducted based on response surface methodology (RMS) according to a central composite design with four independent variables: extraction time (min), ethanol concentration (%, v/v), microwave power (W), and pH of the solvent. Three dependent variables were total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and yield. The optimal conditions for the extraction of phenolic and flavonoid from D. indica were: extraction time of 50 min, ethanol concentration of 65%, microwave power of 440 W, and solvent pH of 5.4. These conditions corresponded to TPC, TFC, and yield values of 33.57 ± 0.12 (mg GAE/g), 25.01 ± 0.11 (mg QE/g) and 33.44 ± 0.14 (%), respectively.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Docynia indica (Wall.) Decne

Docynia indica (Wall.) Decne. (Duo-Yi) is a high economic value for exploitation and utilization wild fruit tree species with edible and medicinal values in southwest China. We have sequenced the chloroplast genome to facilitate genetic improvement of this species and to assess phylogenetic relationships among major lineages. The result showed that the total chloroplast genome size of Duo-Yi was 159,546 bp in length, containing a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 26,369 bp, which were separated by a large single copy (LSC) and small single copy (SSC) of 87,650 bp and 19,158 bp, respectively. The overall guanine-cytosine (GC) content of the chloroplast genome was 36.6%. There were 125 genes in the chloroplast genome, which including 82 protein-coding genes, 35 transfer RNA genes, and 8 ribosomal RNA genes. Among these genes, there were 14 genes with one intron and 3 genes have two introns. The result of phylogenetic analysis indicated that the Duo-Yi was closely related to the genera of Malus doumeri.

Purified Phlorizin from DocynIa Indica (Wall.) Decne by HSCCC, Compared with Whole Extract, Phlorizin and Non-Phlorizin Fragment Ameliorate Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Improves Intestinal Barrier Function in High-Fat-Diet-Fed Mice.

Natural products generally contain complex and multiple bioactive compounds that are responsible for the effects on health through complicated synergistic and/or suppressive actions. As an important raw material of local ethnic minority tea, ethnomedicines and food supplements in southwestern areas of China, Docynia indica (Wall.) Decne (DID) mainly consists of phlorizin (PHZ), which is the main active component. In this study, the holistic activities and the interactions of components of PHZ, non-phlorizin (NP) in the DID extract (DIDE) were evaluated. A rapid and effective high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was performed to knock out PHZ from DIDE and the purity of PHZ was 96.01% determined by HPLC, with a recovery rate of 96.76%. After 13 weeks of treatment course in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice model, the results revealed that the DIDE and PHZ significantly decreased weight gain, blood lipid levels, hyperplasia of adipocytes and alleviated inflammation (p < 0.05). Both DIDE and PHZ improves insulin resistance (p < 0.001). Meanwhile, the intestinal barrier function was improved compared to HFD group, through the determination of serum lipopolysaccharides (LPS), glucagon-likepeptide-2 (GLP-2) and hematoxylin-eosin staining of jejunum. Interestingly, after NP treatment, the metabolic syndrome of the HFD-induced obesity appeared to have a similar improvement. All the experiments showed that there is a synergistic weakening phenomenon when PHZ and NP interact with each other in the mixed state. In conclusion, for the PHZ and NP showing a good effect on anti-obesity, anti-inflammation, and intestinal barrier function, DIDE could be a good source of functional food to prevent obesity.

Application of Komagataeibacter saccharivorans A2 strain to produce “Táo mèo” vinegar by submerged fermentation method

“Táo mèo” vinegar is a product of Vietnam, which is made during which is made during the fermentation of apple cider in aerobic condition by acetic bacteria. In this study, we use a submerged fermentation method to produced “Táo mèo” vinegar from apple cider (Docynia indica) or Son Tra fruit. Based on the liquor obtained from the process of producing cider liquor of the Food Industries Research Institute, we conducted a survey of the technological parameters affect the fermentation process. We have established a process technology to produce apple cider vinegar with the following parameters: Strain K. saccharivorans A2: 9%; initial alcohol: 6%; initial acetic acid: 0,6%; saccharose: 9g/l; yeast extract 0,5g/l; glycerol: 0,5g/l; Mineral: MgSO4.7H2O: 0,25g/l, KH2PO4: 0,25g/l, (NH4)2HPO4: 0,5g /l.&#x0D;

Effect of ultra-sonication on postharvest quality parameters and microbial load on Docynia indica

Freshly harvested Docynia indica fruits were surface cleansed with ultrasonic treatment at different amplitudes. Partly matured fruits were selected for all the experimental studies. The process variables i.e. ultrasonic amplitude, treatment time and temperature selected were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) by three factor three level Box-Behnken design. Probe type ultra-sonicator with a power density of 600W/cm2 with a constant frequency of 30Hz was used for all the 17 experiments. Optimum independent variables selected by RSM were ultrasonic amplitude (80%), treatment time (5.82min) and solvent temperature (25°C). The corresponding optimum values for all the dependent variables obtained were total plate count (2.82 log CFU/cm2), firmness (65.22N) and respiration rate (43.30mgCO2kg−1h−1 FW). The linear terms, some interaction and quadratic terms were found to be significant (p<0.05). Interaction terms between ultrasonic amplitude and treatment time had showed significant negative effect on total plate count (p<0.001) and firmness (p<0.05). But significant positive effect was obtained for respiration rate (p<0.100). Therefore, from this study it was concluded that the ultra-sonication was found to be an effective technology in reducing surface microbial load. Hence, ultra-sonication treatment extremely useful for extending the shelf-life (58%) and maintaining the quality of freshly harvested Docynia indica by one month at refrigerated temperature (7–8°C). While RSM was proven to be an effective technique in controlling and optimizing the factors responsible for ultrasonic treatment.

Phytochemical Characterization and Biological Activities of Docynia indica (wall) Fruit Extracts

With increase in awareness about adverse effects of chemical use in food, there is a continuous effort for search of natural alternatives. Several plant extracts and their purified compounds are being explored for their biological efficacy. In the present study, Docynia indica, which grows as a wild tree in North Eastern region of India has been explored for its possible use as a source of natural preservatives. Although some reports about biological activities of D. indica fruit exist in literature, not much is known about its phytochemical profile. Various fruit extracts prepared at different maturity stages of D. indica fruits were analysed for their in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial potential, and phytochemical profile of their methanolic extracts were determined by high performance liquid chromatography. The immature fruit extract showed high concentration of total phenolics (upto 196.15 mg gallic acid equivalent/ g extract) and flavonoids (up to 100.49 mg rutin equivalent/ g extract) depending on the extraction solvent; and also showed higher antioxidant activity in in vitro assays. Although no definite trend was observed for antibacterial activity based on maturity stages, extraction with the mixture of methanol, acetone and water (1:1:1) was found to show least minimum inhibitory concentration for all the maturity stages. Catechin and ferulic acid were the major phenolics present in D. indica fruits. The antioxidant and antibacterial compounds present in various extracts of D. indica indicate its potential for utilization as food preservative.

Analysis study on potential underutilized edible fruit genetic resources of the foothills track of Eastern Himalayas, India

Several wild indigenous fruit crops which are rare in other part of the world grow favourably and naturally in the foothills track of Eastern Himalayas due to suitable geo-climatic conditions. These wild fruits are Padus napaulensis (Ser. ex DC.) Schneider, Elaeagnus latifolia L., Myrica esculenta Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don, Baccaurea ramiflora Lour., Pyrus pashia Hamilton ex D. Don, Calamus meghalayensis (Becc.) A.J. Hend., Gynocardia odorata R. Br., Prunus undulata Buch.-Ham., Docynia indica (Wall.) Decne., Rhus chinensis Mill. and Viburnum foetidum Wallich. These naturally occurring fruit plants which are harvested and marketed locally, not only nutritionally and medicinally rich but also thrive well under adverse climatic conditions and can be the source of several desirable gene(s) or traits particularly for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. In spite of their potential, these fruit plants are unattended both at scientific and farmers level. There is a need to attain sustainable growth, food and nutritional security for the most susceptible tribal population in the near future. Therefore, during the course of survey, collection and evaluation of eleven naturally occurring potential wild edible fruit plants have been discussed including their habitat, distribution, morphological description, quality parameters, utilization potential, constraints and possible strategies like how to increase their population size, productivity, conservation and utilization.

Antioxidant properties, physico-chemical characteristics and proximate composition of five wild fruits of Manipur, India.

Antioxidant properties, physico-chemical characteristics and proximate composition of five wild fruits viz., Garcinia pedunculata, Garcinia xanthochymus, Docynia indica, Rhus semialata and Averrhoa carambola grown in Manipur, India were presented in the current study. The order of the antioxidant activity and reducing power of the fruit samples was found as R. semialata > D. indica > G. xanthochymus > A. carambola > G. pedunculata. Good correlation coefficient (R(2) > 0.99) was found among the three methods applied to determine antioxidant activity. Total phenolic content was positively correlated (R(2) = 0.960) with the antioxidant activity however, total flavonoid content was not positively correlated with the antioxidant activity. Physico-chemical and proximate composition of these fruits is documented for the first time.

Assessment of Local Dependency on Selected Wild Edible Plants and Fruits from Senapati District, Manipur, Northeast India

Market and household surveys were conducted in four locations in Senapati district, Manipur, Northeast India. Thirty-two common wild edible plants belonging to 25 families were identified. On average 73% of households surveyed are involved in collecting some edible plants, and 38% collect edible fruits. 32% use the collected plant materials for both household consumption and market trade. On average collectors share in 63% of the sales price of wild edible plants. A comparison of total monetary value generated per annum from different wild edible plants showed that Lentinula lateritia (Berk.) Pegler and Docynia indica (Wall.) Decne. contributed the greatest value.