Phytochemical Screening and Antioxidant Activity of Edible Wild Fruits in Benguet, Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines

This study identified the secondary metabolites present and determined the antioxidant activity of 31 edible wild fruits grown in Benguet province, Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. Total polyphenol and flavonoid content were estimated using Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminium chloride method respectively. Antioxidant activity was measured through diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay. Based on the results, the following bioactive constituents are present in the fruits: alkaloids, steroid glycosides, saponins, flavonoids, polyphenols and tannins. The fruits contain more polyphenols than flavonoids. All the fruits except Physalis peruviana (Solanaceae) exhibited higher antioxidant activity than Vitamin E (Myra E), ascorbic acid (50 ug/mL), and trolox (1000 uM). Dillenia philippinensis (Dilleniaceae) exhibited the highest antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity of the fruits and controls is significantly different (ρ ≤ 0.05). Post-hoc Tukey analysis of data reveals that several fruits have equal activity. Finally, there is a positive moderate correlation (r=0.50) between the total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of the fruits.