Study on Physical Properties, Hydrolyzable Tannin Contents and Free Radical Scavenging Activities of Phyllanthus emblica Linn. from Kanchanaburi Province

Abstract

Phyllanthus emblica Linn. (Indian gooseberry) is an indigenous fruit crop growing in all region of Thailand.  The fruit has antioxidant properties and have been used as both food and herbal medicine.  The objectives of this work were to study the physical properties, hydrolysable tannin contents and antioxidant activity of 12 selected clones of Indian gooseberry from Kanchanaburi province. The results of the study showed significant differences (p<0.05) in all physical properties including fruit diameter (2.46±0.2-3.38±0.1 cm), fruit height (2.43±0.1-3.03±0.1 cm), fresh weight (8.47±1.1-20.67±1.8 g), percentage of flesh weight (85.48±1.8-92.38±1.0%) and percentage of flesh dry matter (13.21±2.6-17.14±1.2%). Among all clones of Indian gooseberry, PK1, PK8 and PK16 had the highest fruit fresh weights. The results also demonstrated significant differences (p<0.05) in the contents of hydrolyzable tannin and antioxidant activity among 12 selected clones of Indian gooseberry.  The contents of hydrolyzable tannin and DPPH radical scavenging activity in all Indian gooseberry varied from 192.8±8.2-445.9±8.4 mg tannic acid equivalents/g of dry weight and antioxidant activity (IC₅₀) varied from 0.194-0.807.  PK5 have highest hydrolyzable tannin contents and antioxidant properties.  It was concluded that antioxidant properties of Indian gooseberry varied in accordance with tannin contents of the fruits.