PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING, NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION, FT-IR, AND GC-MS ANALYSIS OF THE ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF HUNTERIA UMBELLATA SEEDS
Uka E.*, Shaibu S. E., Nelson V. A., Effiong G. S.
ABSTRACT
Hunteria umbellata is a medicinal plant widely used in traditional medicine for managing various ailments. This study presents the phytochemical screening, nutritional composition, FT-IR spectroscopy, and GC-MS profiling of H. umbellata seed extract. Phytochemical screening revealed high levels of alkaloids, coumarins, flavonoids, tannins, and phenols, while quantitative analysis showed alkaloids (2.31 mg/100 g), flavonoids (16.79 mg/100 g), phenols (5.36 mg/100 g), tannins (4.88 mg/100 g), and saponins (30.54 mg/100 g) as predominant compounds. Proximate analysis demonstrated the extract’s richness in carbohydrates (33.44%), crude fiber (26.75%), protein (13.61%), fat (12.86%), moisture (9.51%), ash (3.83%), and a calorific value of 1277.34 kJ/100 g. The extract also contained essential minerals such as calcium (387.33 mg/100 g), magnesium (180.00 mg/100 g), sodium (170.10 mg/100 g), phosphorus (37.35 mg/100 g), potassium (19.17 mg/100 g), and manganese (2.16 mg/100 g).Vitamin analysis indicated the presence of vitamin A (5.89 μg RE/100 g), B1 (4.69 mg/100 g), B2 (4.87 mg/100 g), B3 (7.85 mg/100 g), B6 (2.57 mg/100 g), vitamin E (16.58 mg/100 g), and vitamin C (14.87 mg/100 g). FT-IR spectroscopy indicated the presence of hydroxyl, alkane, alkene, aromatic amine, and ether functional groups. GC-MS analysis identified key bioactive constituents, including cyclopropaneoctanal derivatives and aminobenzene compounds. These findings validate the rich phytochemical and nutritional composition of Hunteria umbellata seeds and support their traditional and modern use in managing metabolic disorders.
Keywords: Hunteria umbellata, Phytochemical screening, FT-IR spectroscopy, GC-MS analysis, Ethanolic extract, Medicinal plants, Bioactive compounds.
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