Physico-chemical Profiling, Antioxidant Potential and Heavy Metals Accumulation in Lagenaria Siceraria

Abstract

Lagenaria siceraria (bottle gourd) contains the wide range of chemical components such as minerals, vitamins, flavone-C glycosides, fatty acids and omega-3. In this study, nutritional composition and heavy metals content were analyzed in peel, flesh and cap of the bottle gourd. Flesh (356.85 g) of bottle gourd was showed maximum weight with maximum weight contribution (80.27 %). The cap of bottle gourd showed the maximum total carotenoids (305.00 ppm), TSC (29.56 mg/100 g) and TSS (0.580 ºBrix). Peel of bottle gourd represented significant antioxidant activity by RPA (2536.00 mg/100 g) and DPPH (36.43 % inhibition) with higher TPC (2819.88 mg/100 g) as well as TFC (60.28 mg/100 g). Fe was found maximum in three parts of bottle gourd than other metals concentration. The observed concentrations of heavy metals were found under the standard safe limits