PHYSICO-CHEMICAL, PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ANTI-OXIDANT PROPERTIES OF BOTANICAL GALACTOGOGUES USED IN RUMINANT FEEDING

Abstract

Botanical galactogogues contained in Guiera senegalensis (Guiera), Tamarindus indica (Tamarind), Ficus thonningii (Blume) and Anogeissus leiocarpus (African birch) were evaluated for their physico-chemical, phytochemical and antioxidant properties. The samples were shade dried, ground to powder, stored and analyzed for the above-mentioned properties in the laboratory. The treatments were laid in a completely randomized design replicated thrice. The antioxidant properties were evaluated using the diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Data collected were analyzed using SAS (2000) and Tukey’s test was used to separate means (P<0.05). Physico-chemical analysis of the browse plants showed that there was a significant (P<0.05) difference in their contents of moisture, ash, acid insoluble ash, water insoluble ash, sulphated ash, acid soluble extractive and water soluble extractive. Result further revealed that the extracts of G. senegalensis, T. indica, Ficus thonningii and A.leiocarpus possessed  varied degree of free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities in a concentrationdependent manner. The values ranged from (0.220- 0.570) µg/ml for DPPH and (0.4715- 0.7185) µg/ml for FRAP. The extract of G. senegalensis was observed to be the most effective radical scavenger and antioxidant (5.124 µg/ml) and was closely followed by A. leiocarpus extract (1.841 µg/ml). Their high radical scavenging and antioxidant activity can be attributed to their high flavonoid and phenolic contents. It was concluded that G. senegalensis had the highest antioxidant property while F. thonningii had the highest ferric reducing antioxidant property. These findings supported the ethno-veterinary uses of these plants to produce effective intervention for free radical mediated diseases. It is thus reommended that antioxidant profile in milk of ruminants fed botanical galactogogues be further studied.