Content uploaded by Ramchander Merugu
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Ramchander Merugu on Jul 28, 2019
Content may be subject to copyright.
International Journal of PharmTech Research
CODEN (USA): IJPRIF, ISSN: 0974-4304
Vol.8, No.1, pp 160-162, 2015
Antioxidant Properties of Coconut Sap and its Sugars
N.Syamala Devi1, T. HariPrasad*1, K.Ramesh2, Ramchander Merugu3
1Department of Biotechnology, Sree Vidyanikethan Engineering College
(Autonomous), Tirupati, India
2Department of Biochemistry, Vikas Degree and PG college, Hyderabadi, India
3Deptartment of Biochemistry, Mahatma Gandhi University, Nalgondai, India
Abstract: The antioxidant properties of coconut sap were analyzed for which studies were
conducted on the reducing power, levels of ascorbic acid, polyphenol content and alpha
amylase inhibitory activity. Polyphenols and ascorbic acid are very good antioxidants and
possess free radical scavenging activity and thereby exhibit good reducing power. Alpha
amylase inhibitors cause delay in the digestion of carbohydrates, therefore causing reduction
in the rate of glucose absorption.
Key words: anti oxidants, coconut sap, sugars.
Introduction
A report from Food and Nutrition research Institute has given the nutrient and non nutrient profile of
coconut sap and its sugar (coconutboard.gov.in). The report states that Coconut sap and its sugar is rich in iron,
zinc, calcium, sodium and potassium, dietary fiber and inulin. They too possess phytonutrient content such as
Polyphenols, flavonoids and anthocyanidin. Clinical trial studies had shown that coconut sap and its sugar has
low glycemic Index. Palm trees such as Nypa fruticans, Borassus flabelliform and Cocos nucifera are harvested
for their large amounts of high sugar content sap. The extracted sap can be used for preparing syrup, vinegar,
sugar, alcoholic beverages and even used for biofuel production. In fact, palm trees are able to produce higher
yields in sugar and alcohol compared to conventional crops, such as sugar beetal, maize, cassava, sugarcane and
sweet potatoes. Fresh coconut inflorescence sap (FCIS) is used for its sugar and alcoholic beverages by local
people and was reported to be highly nutritive and also function as a good digestive agent. Fresh sap is rich in
amino acids and vitamins 1. Many researchers have studied the chemical or microbiological compounds of FCIS
and naturally fermented coconut inflorescence sap (NCIS). The study distribution of microorganisms, the
changes of physical and chemical contents during natural fermentation of CIS and 166 isolates of yeasts and 39
isolates of bacteria were isolated in this work 2 . Antioxidants protect the body from damage caused by ROS
therefore the present research is focused on the medicinal plants protects the system from oxidative damage.
Our experimental results testify that the coconut sap has powerful ROS scavenging activity and can be
potentially used as the ingredients of functional food. There are few reports about the functional potential of
these compounds from fresh or fermented saps, hence the present study was conducted.
Material and Methods
FCIS was collected by tapping the unopened spadix of the palm from three trees of the C. nucifera L.
and were stored in a container which had been thoroughly washed with boiled water, and then desiccated to
avoid microbial contamination. The FCIS was collected and transported to the laboratory maintaining 4°C until
processing. A portion of each sap was quickly filtered (Whatman No.1), put into a conical flask covered with
cheese cloth, and immediately used for tests and then fermented for about 24 hrs to 3 days at 25 ± 2°C,
T. HariPrasad
et al
/Int.J. PharmTech Res. 2015,8(1),pp 160-162. 161
respectively in triplicate. An aliquot of the sap was removed from each conical flask and the physicochemical
compositions were investigated periodically. Sugar samples (1 g) were dissolved in 10 mL of distilled water.
The syrups were diluted with distilled water to reach the same solid concentration (10° Brix, 25°C) of
sugar extracts. The pH of each extract was adjusted to 6–8 and centrifuged at 9,300 g for 30 minutes. The
supernatant was recovered and then used as the extract for in vitro assays. Extractions were performed in
duplicate. The total phenolic contents of samples were quantified by the Folin- Ciocalteu’s reagent and were
expressed as gallic acid equivalents 3. Ascorbic acid content was determined by spectrophotometer 4. α -amylase
inhibitory activity as from Worthington Enzyme Manual5.
Results and Discussions
Ascorbic acid is easily oxidized and degraded and it determines the quality of the sap. Phenolic
compounds contain the phenolic hydroxyl groups which are free radical trappers. Therefore they possess anti-
aging, anti-tumor and antimutagen functions. The Ascorbic acid content of FCIS was 20.6 mg/L. It however
reduced slowly on day 1 to 19.6 mg/L of fermentation, but has increased on day 2, has reached a maximum of
20.7 mg/L on day 3. The increase may be probably because of enhanced activity of yeast. However, on day 5,
the Ascorbic acid fell sharply to and this may be because of decreased activity of the yeast as shown in Fig 1.
Fig.1: Variation in Ascorbic acid content with Time, p value <0.05
The total phenolic content in the FCIS was 0.34 g/. Day 2 of fermentation the value was (0.6g/L) and
thereafter reached a peak value of 1.24 g/L at day 3 after which there was no obvious change as shown in Fig 2.
The increased phenolic content is because of plant poly phenols bind with cellulose, protein, sugar, and starch
to form glucosidic bonds. Microbial met abolism may too contribute to phenolic substance.
Fig.2: Total phenolics content in terms of gallic acid g/L, p value< 0.05
The total phenolic content of Coconut sap sugar is 2300 μg Gallic acid g/L. Sugar extract exhibited
45% inhibition of porcine pancreatic α – amylase at 500 μl and therefore may possess antidiabetic activity.
T. HariPrasad
et al
/Int.J. PharmTech Res. 2015,8(1),pp 160-162. 162
Conclusion
Ascorbic acid was also found to be the main contributor to the total antioxidant capacity of new fruit
juice and skim milk mixture beverages market led in Spain6. At the present three amylase inhibitors like
acarbose, miglitol and voglinose are available for the treatment of patients with type II diabet ales mellitus.
These inhibitors of glucosidase and amylase resulted in delayed carbohydrate digestion and glucose absorption
with attenuation of postprandial hyperglycemic excursions7. Coconut sap sugar can be used as an alternative
source for sugar because of its low glycemic index and since it possess α – amylase inhibitory activity but also
used as a therapeutic agent in treating type II diabetes mellitus.
References
1. Aalbersberg. B.;Singh.B.; Ravi.P. Nutrient analysis of coconut toddy, 1997, Tropical Science 37(3)
160-163
2. Atputharajah, J.D., Widanapathiranat, S. and Samarajeewa, U. Microbiology and biochemistry of
natural fermentation of coconut palm sap, 1986, Journal of Food Microbiology 3: 273-280.
3. Yuan, V.Y., Bone, D.E. and Carrington, F. 2005.Antioxidant activity of dulse (Palmaria palmata)
extract evaluated in vitro. Food Chem. 91, 485–494.
4. Kampfenkel, K.,Van Montagu, M. and Inzed.1995. Extraction and determination of ascorbate and
dehydroascorbate from plant tissue. Anal. Biochem. 225,165–167.
5. Worthington V, ed.: Alpha amylase. In: Worthington Enzyme Manual. Worthington Biochemical
Corp., Freehold, NJ, 1993, pp.36–41.
6. Zulueta, A.M., Esteve, J. and Frasquetal Frigola, I.A.2007. Vitamin C, vitamin A, phenolic compounds
and total antioxidant capacity of new fruit juice and skim milk mixture beverages marketed in Spain.
Food Chem. 103, 1365–1374
7. Mooradian, A.D. and Thurman, J.E., Drug therapy of postprandial hyperglycemia.1999, Drugs, 57, 19-
29.
*****
