Phytochemical Screening and Antioxidant Activities of Two Selected ‘bihi’ Fruits Used as Vegetables in Darjeeling Himalaya

The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant activity as well as total phenol (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) in two fruits, Solanum anguivi and Solanum incanum grown in Darjeeling Himalaya and used as vegetables in Nepali recipes. The antioxidant activities were examined by five different methods namely DPPH free radical scavenging activity, reducing power, iron chelation, anti-lipid peroxidation, and nitric oxide scavenging activity. The results showed that considerable amount of TPC and TFC was present in these fruit extracts as well as these vegetables contain a vast array of different phytochemicals in their dry form. Solanum incannum showed higher antioxidant activity than Solanum anguivi. Significant correlations were obtained between free-radical scavenging capacity and TFC, indicating that flavonol group of metabolites were the chief performers of antioxidant activity. Principle Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that polar metabolites along with hydrophilic radical scavengers contributed to the major variability in the antioxidant activity of the plants. Overall, the present results provided basic data for choosing these fruits with high antioxidant capacity for consumption or for the development of antioxidant based medicines as value-added products.