Bioactive constituents and health promoting compounds of few wild edible fruits of North-East India

Wild edible fruits provide a valuable source of sustenance and economic benefit for indigenous communities, which being often overlooked and underexploited. In order to meet the growing need for alternative nutritional sources, we conducted a study to evaluate the nutritional composition of seven (7) wild edible fruits viz. pummelo (Citrus grandis), kuji-thekera (Garcinia kydia), Nepal berry (Mahonia nepaulensis), bayberry (Myrica esculenta), laurel cherry (Prunus undulata), wild jamun (Syzygium cumini), and tamarind (Tamarindus indica) of Mizoram, north-east India. The research demonstrates that Mahonia napaulensis contains significant amounts of anthocyanin (678 +/- 28 mg 100 g-1), carotenoid (1.64 +/- 0.01 mg 100 g-1), total sugars (21 +/- 4%), non-reducing sugars (9 +/- 2%), and TSS 16.07 +/- 0.32 degrees B. Myrica esculenta exhibited high levels of vitamin E (23.8 +/- 0.6 mg 100 g-1), carbohydrate (79.84 +/- 3.74%), moisture (89 +/- 1%), cellulose (67.4 +/- 0.7 mg 100 g-1), and Mn (28 +/- 1 mg 100 g-1). Tamarindus indica is rich in starch (10.68 +/- 0.30 mg 100 g-1), protein (60 +/- 1%), energy (490 +/- 12 kcal), dry matter (41 +/- 1%), crude fiber (20.8 +/- 0.4%), lignin (13.69 +/- 0.01%), hemicellulose (12.09 +/- 0.01%), Ca (398 +/- 82 mg 100 g-1), Cu (33 +/- 6 mg 100 g-1) and Zn (11.4 +/- 0.7 mg 100 g-1). The findings suggest that all fruits exhibit nutritional and anti-nutritional characteristics, making them very potential for use in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical sectors. The outcomes will provide a fundamental repository of the nutritional composition of these fruits and raise public consciousness about the significance of the fruit, promoting the conservation of the biodiversity.