<b>Physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of <i>Trichosanthes anguina</i> and <i>Swietenia mahagoni seeds</i></b>

Abstract

The core objective of this research was to determine the characteristics of oils, nutritional composition and antimicrobial activities of T. anguina and S. mahagoni seeds. Physicochemical characteristics of oils implied higher degree of unsaturation in T. anguina whereas, S. mahagoni oil contained appreciable level of unsaturation. Tri-acyl-glycerols and neutral lipids were found to be most abounded components recorded to 86.2 and 91.3% for T. anguina and 87.0 and 89.4% for S. mahagoni, respectively. GLC analysis showed the presence of fatty acids from series C_16:0 to C_18:3 for T. anguina and C_16:0 to C_20:0 for S. mahagoni in which principal fatty acids accounted as punicic (45.1%) in T. anguina and linoleic (30.1%) in S. mahagoni seed oils. Of the major energy producing nutrients, the seed samples contained large amounts of lipid (36.1% in T. anguina and 57.9% in S. mahagoni) and protein (20.9% in T. anguina and 13.0% in S. mahagoni) and potentially useful amounts of other nutrients. The knowledge from the nutritional analysis could be important to its appropriate industrial use and for improvement in the nutritional value. Assessment of the anti-microbial studies reported herein revealed the crude extracts of T. anguina and S. mahagoni seeds were not significantly inhibition against most of the tested bacteria and fungi. This study may lead to further ethno-pharmacognostic investigations to identify new compounds with therapeutic promise.

KEY WORDS: Seed oil, Fatty acids, Nutritional composition, Antimicrobial activities

Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2011, 25(3), 427-436.