Nutritional and Medicinal Importance of Dioscorea glabra R. Baron, a Potent Wild Edible Plant Consumed by the Lodha Tribal Community of West Bengal, India

Objective: The present study designed to evaluate the proximate composition, minerals content and in vitro antioxidant properties, in the tuber of Dioscorea glabra R. Baron. The estimation of phenolic acids, polyphenolics and quantitation of water-soluble vitamins like ascorbic acid (C), thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6) and folic acid (B9) in the plant were carried out by High Performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Methods: The proximate parameters, minerals and toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury were estimated in the wild edible plant using standard food analysis techniques. The HPLC analysis was carried out using Dionex Ultimate 3000 liquid chromatograph attached with Acclaim C 18 column (5 mu m particle size, 250 x 4.6 mm), and photo diode array (PDA) detector. Results: The present study showed the presence of a very good amount of protein (4.823 +/- 0.041%), carbohydrate (42.43 +/- 0.057%) and minerals and heavy metals in various amount. The total phenolic and flavonoid content were found 335.64 +/- 3.92 mg/100gm and 65.73 mg/100gm, respectively in the plant. The plant showed the presence of a very good amount of vitamin C (23.49 +/- 0.0413 mg/100gm) along with water-soluble B vitamins ranged between 0.036 to 4.159 mg/100gm. The HPLC analysis also indicated the presence of phenolic acids and polyphenolics in various amounts in this wild edible plant. Conclusion: The abundance of protein, fat, carbohydrate, minerals, water soluble vitamins and natural antioxidant components in this plant makes them as a considerable source of nutrition and could be consumed as a regular diet to the human being.