Analysis of saponin content and antifungal activity of East Indian Arrowroot

Abstract

Arrowroot (Tacca leontopetaloides Ktze) is an herbaceous plant which produces starchy tuber widely used to produce flour for various kinds of recipes, especially Thai desserts. However, medical and health benefits of other parts of the plant such as stalk, leaf and flower are understudied. The objective of this article is to present an analysis of saponin content in arrowroot and its inhibitory effects on the growth of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Ethanol extraction of arrowroot leaf, stem and fruit indicated that the fruit yielded the highest content of crude extract, followed by leaf and trunk, respectively. Classification of saponin in the crude extract was performed using Liebermann-Burchard Test and IR spectroscopy. The results indicated that the extract contained triterpenoid saponin. The extraction was further analyzed using UV-Vis spectroscopy, and it was found that arrowroot leaf contained the highest amount of saponin (23.44 µg/gDW), followed by its fruit (19.73 µg/gDW) and stem
(7.79 µg/gDW). The saponin extract was further tested for the efficiency against the growth of Colletotrichum gloeosporioide a fungus that causes diseases in fruits and vegetables. The results showed that saponin extract could inhibit the growth of the fungus and the inhibition efficiency increased with the increasing concentration of the extract.