Farah Ayuni Mohd Hatta

Carotenoid Content and Composition in 20 Medicinal Plant Species of Traditional Malay Midwifery Postnatal Bath

Today in Malay community, midwifery traditional knowledge of herbal medicine has disappeared and extinct. The facts are Malay midwives are becoming rare and the more crucial is medicinal plants are over-harvested. The aim of this research is to identify and investigate the active pharmaceutical ingredients content in 20 selected species used in the Malay traditional bath. There is a solid need to analyse the potential of these natural bioactive compounds, particularly carotenoids to be fully utilised and commercialised especially in halal market and health advantages. Through High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, all 20 species were found to have at least four individual carotenoid pigments with a relatively high concentration of lutein and β-carotene and lower concentrations of zeaxanthin. Strobilanthes crispus (Pecah Kaca) leaf was detected to have the highest total carotenoid content (1546.80±283.45 μg/g DW) while Psidium guajava (Jambu Batu) shoot has the lowest total carotenoid content (112.9±82.2 μg/g DW). The significant outcome of the research was a new findings of new natural bioactive compound sources as health promoting agents which covers not only the Shariah requirement, but also safety aspects. Moreover, it will preserve the traditional knowledge of Malay traditional bath practices.

Stability of Carotenoid Composition in Orange Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) Tuber Flesh Over Three Growing Seasons and 6 Months Storage Time

Considerable research interest has recently focused on the development of both transgenic and traditional breeding methods to increase total and individual carotenoid composition in sweet potatoes. Unfortunately little information is available on the influence of the environment on carotenoid profile stability in sweet potatoes especially growing seasons and storage. Therefore the aim of this study is to explore the composition and concentration of carotenoids in orange sweet potato tubers to enable their future enhancement through genetic manipulation over different growing seasons and storage time. Our findings revealed that orange sweet potato tubers contained I±-carotene and I²-carotene in the first and second season, whereas in the third season only lutein and zeaxanthin were detected. Analysis of carotenoid profiles of the orange sweet potato tubers grown in three different seasons showed that the growing season had a major effect on the carotenoid compounds stability. Besides growing seasons, the level of total and individual carotenoids in orange sweet potato tuber flesh are strongly influenced and affected by storage conditions. The storage of tubers over 6 months period of time appears to have distinct effects on carotenoid content and composition. Results showed that storage from 1 to 6 months resulted in the accumulation of zeaxanthin and I²-carotene with a concomitant decreased of lutein, I±-carotene and total carotenoid content.