Phytochemistry and proximate composition of ginger ...

Journal of Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences

JOPHAS

PHYTOCHEMISTRY AND PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF GINGER (ZINGIBER OFFICINALE ) 1*

UGWOKE, C.E.C. AND 2 NZEKWE, U. 1 DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACOGNOSY, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA 2 DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA *

Correspondence Author; cecgk@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT The phytochemistry, proximate composition and medicinal properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale ) were investigated. The rhizomes of ginger were collected, washed with water and chopped into tiny pieces. These were dried in an air-circulating oven and milled into fine powder using a mechanical grinder. The resulting powdered sample was subjected to phytochemical tests. Proximate analysis was also carried out to determine the moisture, protein, fats, carbohydrate contents as well as ash and fibre values of the rhizome. The results of the phytochemical screening showed that alkaloids, carbohydrates, glycosides, proteins, saponins, steroids, flavonoids and terpenoids were present, while reducing sugars, tannins, oils and acid compounds were absent. Similarly, the results of the proximate analysis of the rhizome showed that ginger contains mostly carbohydrates (71.46%) and crude protein (8.83%) with a little crude fibre content of 0.92 %. The results indicated that ginger rhizome is an excellent natural remedy for a wide range of ailments. Key words:

Zingiber officinale, spice, rhizome, phytochemistry, proximate analysis, Zingiberaceae, zingerone, methanolic extraction.

INTRODUCTION Ginger is commonly used as a cooking spice throughout the world. It is the rhizome of the perennial plant, Zingiber officinale in the family Zingiberaceae. Ginger is a perennial creeping plant, with thick tuberous rhizome, producing an erect stem 30 – 100 cm tall. The lance-shaped leaves are bright green, 15 – 20 cm long, with a prominent longitudinal rib, enclosing conical clusters of small yellow-green flowers marked with purple speckles (1). It is propagated from the rhizome, and thrives well in rich, well drained loam soil. The rhizomes of ginger have assumed significant roles in Chinese, Japanese, and Indian medicine since

1500s. The oleoresin of ginger is often contained in digestive, antitussive, antiflatulent, laxative, and antacid compounds (2). There is supportive evidence from several clinical trials that ginger reduces the severity and duration of nausea/vomiting due to chemotherapy. Ginger is used orally, topically, and intramuscularly for a wide array of other conditions (3, 4). The plant has a long history of cultivation and is known to have originated in China and then spread to

Journal of Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences Vol. 7 No. 5 (2010) ISSN: 1596-8499 Website: http://ajol.info/index.php/jophas

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India, South Asia, West Africa and the Caribbean (5). Ginger contains up to 3.0% essential oil that gives it fragrance. The main constituents are sesquiterpenoids with (-)-zingiberene as the main component. Lesser amounts of other sesquiterpenoids bisabolene (α-sesquiphellandrene, and farnesene) and a small monoterpenoid fraction (αphelladrene, cineol, and citral) have also been identified (6). The pungent taste of plant is due to nonvolatile phenylpropanoidderived compounds, particularly gingerols and shogaols (1).The latter are formed from the former when ginger is dried or cooked. Zingerone is also produced from gingerols during this process, and is less pungent and has a spicy-sweet aroma. Ginger has a sialagogue action, stimulating the production of saliva. The characteristic odour and flavour of the root is due to the presence of a mixture of zingerone, shoagoles, gingerols, and volatile oils (1, 7). In laboratory animals, the gingerols increase the motility of the gastrointestinal tract and have analgesic, sedative, antipyretic and antibacterial properties (8). Ginger compounds are active against a type of diarrhoea which is the leading cause of infant death in developing countries (9). Zingerone is the active constituent against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, a causative agent in the heat-labile enterotoxin-induced diarrhoea. According to Apariman et.al. (10), ginger has been found effective for treating nausea, caused by seasickness and morning sickness. Ginger is most commonly known for its effectiveness in aiding digestion. By increasing the production of digestive fluids and saliva, ginger helps relieve

indigestion, gas pains, diarrhoea and stomach cramping (11). Ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties help relieve pain and reduce inflammation associated with arthritis, rheumatism and muscle spasms. Ginger’s therapeutic properties effectively stimulate circulation of the blood, removing toxins from the body, cleansing the bowels and kidneys and nourishing the skin. In addition to these medicinal uses, ginger continues to be valued around the world as an important cooking spice and is believed to help in common cold, flu-like symptoms, headaches and even painful menstruation (12). In 2005, China continued to lead the world in ginger production with a global share of almost 25% followed by India, Indonesia, and Nigeria. (Table 1). However, the global production trends in 2008 showed that India with over 30% of the global share, now leads in global production of ginger, replacing China, which has slipped to the second position (20.5% ), followed by Indonesia (12.7% ), Nepal (11.5% ) and Nigeria (10% ) as indicated in Table 2 (13). Table 1: World Top Ten Ginger Producers in 2005 Country

China India Indonesia Nigeria Nepal Bangladesh Thailand Philippines Cameroon North Korea

Production (Int. $1000 ) (FAO Estimate) 133,811 130,964 85,981 62,635 53,525 27,332 19,360 12,911 4,271 3,399

Source: Statistical Division in Economic and Social Development Unit, FAO (2005).

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Table 2: World Top Ten Ginger Producers in 2008 Country

India China Indonesia Nepal Nigeria Bangladesh Japan Thailand Philippines Sri Lanka World

Production (tonnes) Estimate ) 420,000 285,000 177,000 158,905 138,000 57,000 42,000 34,000 28,000 8,270 1,387,445

(FAO

Source: Statistical Division in Economic and Social Development Unit, FAO (2008)

MATERIALS AND METHODS Collection and authentication of plant material Fresh rhizomes of ginger were purchased from Ogige Market in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. The plant was authenticated at the herbarium of the Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme (BDCP), Nsukka and the voucher specimen of the plant under study is deposited in the herbarium of the Department of Pharmacognosy, University of Nigeria Nsukka.

Preparation of plant extract for phytochemical analysis The fresh rhizomes were washed in water, chopped into tiny pieces, dried in an air-circulating oven and ground into fine powder using a mechanical grinder. The powder was subsequently subjected to methanolic extraction using cold maceration for 48h, concentrated to dryness using a rotary

evaporator attached to a vacuum pump and stored at a temperature of -4oC until use. Phytochemical tests Phytochemical tests were carried out on the powdered extract for the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, resins, oils, steroids, glycosides, terpenoids, acidic compounds, carbohydrates, reducing sugars and proteins, following standard procedures (14, 15). Preparation of the rhizome for proximate analysis The rhizomes were chopped into tiny pieces, then dried in an air-circulating oven and ground into fine powder, using a mechanical grinder. The powdered samples were sieved through mesh 300 µm sieve and stored in an air-tight cellophane bag as stock sample in a refrigerator, until required for analyses (16). Chemical analyses The proximate composition of the sample was determined using the AOAC official methods (17). Thermal drying method was used in the determination of moisture content of the samples (16). Moisture was determined by the loss in weight of samples dried in a 1050C oven. The percentage moisture content was calculated by computing the loss in weight on drying as a fraction of the initial weight of sample used and multiplied by 100.

MC (% ) =

Wo X 100 Wi

where Wo = loss in weight (g) on drying and Wi = initial weight of sample (g).

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The ash content was determined using the ignition method by burning the sample in a muffle furnace at 6000C for 2 hr. The percentage ash content was calculated using the formula:

M Ash (% ) = a X 100 Ms Where Ma = Mass of ash (g) and Ms = Mass of sample used (g). Determination of crude protein was done by determining the total organic nitrogen, using the macro-Kjeldhal method. This involved digestion, distillation and titration. The technique determined the amino nitrogen of the sample, after which the total organic nitrogen was then, calculated using the formula:

% TON

TV x NE x TVd 100 M s x Vd

Where TV = Titre value, NE = mg nitrogen equivalent to molarity of acid, TVd = total volume to which digest was diluted, Ms = mass of sample (g) and Vd = volume of digest distilled. Determination of crude fat content of the sample was done using Soxhlet type of the direct solvent extraction method. Crude fat represents total fat in most samples. At the end of the extraction, the solvent was evaporated and the flask dried in the oven (at 600C). The flask was then cooled and reweighed. The percentage crude fat (Lipid) was calculated using the

formula:

CL (% ) =

M ex X 100 Mg

Where Mex = mass of extract (g) and Ms = mass of sample used (g). Total carbohydrate content of the sample was estimated by ‘ differences’ (16). In this, the sum of the percentages of all the other proximate components was subtracted from 100 i. e. Total CHO (%) = 100 – (% moisture + % crude protein + % crude fat + % ash).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The summary of the phytochemical screening of the powdered sample of the rhizome are shown in Table 3. The sign (+) indicates the presence of the constituents while (-) indicates the absence of bioactive agents. Alkaloids, flavonoids and terpenoids were present in high concentration (+++), carbohydrates, glycosides, resins, proteins and steroids were moderately (++) present, while saponins were present in low concentration (+). Reducing sugar, tannins, oils and acid compounds were absent.

The results of the proximate analysis of the ginger rhizome (Table 4) show that ginger contains mostly carbohydrates (72.38%), crude protein (8.83%) and crude fat content of 5.71%. The findings of this study agreed with earlier reports on the proximate composition of ginger (16).

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Table 3: Phytochemical contents of ginger rhizome Constituents Carbohydrates Glycosides Proteins Reducing sugars Alkaloids Saponins Oils Steroids Flavonoids Acid compounds Tannins Resins Terpenoids

Remarks ++ ++ ++ +++ + ++ +++ ++ +++

+++ High concentration ++ Moderate concentration + Low concentration - Absence

patients primarily because, its natural properties do not interact negatively with other medications (19, 18). It is a safe remedy for morning sickness, since it will not harm the foetus. Ginger is also used as support in inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, and may be of use in heart disease treatment. One of the newest reports of the health benefits of ginger is that it could stop cancer from growing and spreading (20, 21).

REFERENCES 1.

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Table 4: Proximate (nutrient) contents of the ginger rhizome

Constituents Moisture Ash Crude Protein Crude Fat Crude Fibre Total Carbohydrate

Composition (%) 6.45 6.63 8.83 5.71 0.92 71.46

4.

5.

6.

7.

The results show that ginger is a good source of carbohydrate. The results further show that ginger is a supplementary source of moisture, ash, crude protein, crude fibre and fat. Ginger tea has been recommended to alleviate nausea in chemotherapy

8.

9.

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16. Nwinuka, N. M., Ibeh, G.O. and Ekeke, G .I. (2005) Proximate Composition and Levels of some Toxicants in four commonly consumed spices. J. Appl. Sci. Environ. Mgt. 9 (1): 150- 155. 17. AOAC (1990). Official Methods of Analysis, 15th edn. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Arlington, VA. 18. Vutyavanich, T., Kraisarin, T. and Ruangsri, R. (2001) Ginger for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy: randomized double-masked, placebocontrolled trial. Obstet Gynecol. 97(4): 577-582. 19. Bone, M.E., Wilkinson, D. J., Young, J.R, McNeil, J. and Charlton, S. (1990) Ginger root - a new antiemetic. The effect of ginger root on post-operative nausea and vomiting after major gynaecological surgery. Anaesthesia. 45(8):669 – 671. 20. Srivastava, K.C. and Mustafa, T. (1992) Ginger in rheumatism and musculoskeletal disorders. Medical Hypotheses.39: 343- 348. 21. Bhandari, U., Sharma, J.N., Zafar, R. (1998) The protective action of ethanolic ginger extract in cholesterol fed rabbits. J. Ethnopharm. 61(2): 167 – 171.

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