The Nutrition and Health Potential of Philippine “Kurumbot” (Passiflora foetida Linn.) Wild Fruit

Abstract

There is scarce information on the nutritional and health benefits of “Kurumbot”,  a wild indigenous edible fruit in the Philippines, despite its potential to enhance the diversity of diets and curb the impacts of food and nutrition insecurity; thus, the study was conducted to determine the local wild fruit’s nutritional content namely, the proximate composition and beta-carotene and its non-nutrient components that offer health functions.  The ripe yellow fruit pulp sample was found to contain 69.49%. moisture, 0.48% ash, 0.64% crude fiber, 7.39% crude protein, 13.15% crude fat and 8.85% carbohydrates. A high scavenging activity  (86.11% DPPH) was noted from the sample. Phytochemical screening of the fruit sample revealed  315.25 mg CE/100g phenols, 231.61mg GE/100g flavonoids, 0.79 mg GYE/100g saponins and 4.20 mg CE/100mg tannins. An amount of 1371.00ug/100g beta-carotene was measured from the fruit pulp sample. This study fills in the knowledge gap that hinders the utilization of indigenous crops to improve nutrition and secure food supply.  Promoting the consumption of “Kurumbot” can complement the staple diet by providing additional sources of nutrients and health benefits.