Abstract

The study was aimed at establishing the metallic and phytochemical contents of gum obtained from Treculia Africana Decne (African breadfruit) in order to assess its suitability for use as a pharmaceutical excipient. The pulp was obtained from the fruit after removing the skin and seeds, then dried, pulverised, and defatted using a mixture of chloroform and acetone at 2:1 ratio. Thereafter the resulting residue was air dried at room temperature (32^oC) for 72 h. The gum purification was effected by mixing 100 g of defatted gum with 500 ml of boiling water in a glass beaker and stirring using a stainless steel paddle for 10 min. The resultant mucilage, after cooling to 30^oC, was treated with acetone (ratio 1:3). Thereafter, the extracted gum was subjected to standard phytochemical and inorganic elemental screening protocols. Results revealed that phytate, oxalate and carbohydrates were present in the gum at concentrations of 0.137±0.008, 0.113±0.004 and 0.110±0.005 mg/100 g of gum, but alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins and cardiac glycosides were absent. The gum contains some heavy metals, but the quantities were found to be much lower than the limits permitted to be present in foods and pharmaceuticals. It is therefore worth suggesting that this gum is safe and may be a useful excipient for the formulation of various pharmaceutical dosage forms.

Keywords

Treculia Pulp Gum, Phytochemical Analysis, Metal Content, Pharmaceutical Excipient

Cite This Article

Uzondu, A. L. E., & Animam, R. N. (2013). Phytochemical and Metallic Content Analyses of Gum Obtained from Pulp of Treculia Africana Fruit. International Journal for Pharmaceutical Research Scholars, 2(4), 74-81.