Bioactive constituents and health promoting compounds of few wild edible fruits of North-East India

Wild edible fruits provide a valuable source of sustenance and economic benefit for indigenous communities, which being often overlooked and underexploited. In order to meet the growing need for alternative nutritional sources, we conducted a study to evaluate the nutritional composition of seven (7) wild edible fruits viz. pummelo (<i>Citrus grandis</i>), kuji-thekera (<i>Garcinia kydia</i>), Nepal berry (<i>Mahonia nepaulensis</i>), bayberry (<i>Myrica esculenta</i>), laurel cherry (<i>Prunus undulata</i>), wild jamun (<i>Syzygium cumini</i>), and tamarind (<i>Tamarindus indica</i>) of Mizoram, north-east India. The research demonstrates that <i>Mahonia napaulensis</i> contains significant amounts of anthocyanin (678 ± 28 mg 100 g⁻¹), carotenoid (1.64 ± 0.01 mg 100 g⁻¹), total sugars (21 ± 4%), non-reducing sugars (9 ± 2%), and TSS 16.07 ± 0.32 °B. <i>Myrica esculenta</i> exhibited high levels of vitamin E (23.8 ± 0.6 mg 100 g⁻¹), carbohydrate (79.84 ± 3.74%), moisture (89 ± 1%), cellulose (67.4 ± 0.7 mg 100 g⁻¹), and Mn (28 ± 1 mg 100 g⁻¹). <i>Tamarindus indica</i> is rich in starch (10.68 ± 0.30 mg 100 g⁻¹), protein (60 ± 1%), energy (490 ± 12 kcal), dry matter (41 ± 1%), crude fiber (20.8 ± 0.4%), lignin (13.69 ± 0.01%), hemicellulose (12.09 ± 0.01%), Ca (398 ± 82 mg 100 g⁻¹), Cu (33 ± 6 mg 100 g⁻¹) and Zn (11.4 ± 0.7 mg 100 g⁻¹). The findings suggest that all fruits exhibit nutritional and anti-nutritional characteristics, making them very potential for use in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical sectors. The outcomes will provide a fundamental repository of the nutritional composition of these fruits and raise public consciousness about the significance of the fruit, promoting the conservation of the biodiversity.