INTRODUCTION:

Adansonia digitata is also known as baobab and pharmacist tree.^1,17 It is found in South Africa. Baobab tree is very different than another tree.¹ The fruit pulp of baobab is used to prepare drink, sweets and sauces and also recently used in formulation of ice creams. It is used as a source of food Complement. The daily intake of baobab is providing energy, carbohydrates, and protein for children and pregnant lady.³ It is a very long-lived tree and their parts widely used as foods, medicine, fibers etc. The tree provides food, clothes and medicine to fight several types of disease. Baobab tree height is very long and width is about 5-6 meters.³⁹ Adansonia digitata have several types of action such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-pyretic and anti-diabetics activity.¹Baobab tree have secondary metabolites to give medicinal value. This extract is prepared by different part of plant such as flowers, root, seeds, stem and fruits.²

Baobab fruit pulp contain a highly valuable source of ascorbic acid approximately six time more than the content of an organ⁴ and also contain highest level of provitamin A was collected in the young leaves, especially when they are used as dried material.⁴ Stem bark of Adansonia tree can be used for treatment of several disease such as typhoid fever, malaria and UTI (urinary tract infection).² The fruit pulp of baobab is used as medicine like antipyretic (febrifuge), anti-dysenteric, diaphoretic, immunostimulant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and probiotic, and also used to treat diarrhea in children and help to milk production in breastfeeding women. Baobab tree show many effects such as cardio protective, anti-tumor and hepato protective effect.³ The previous biochemistry analysis revealed that the leaves, seeds and the fruit pulp of baobab are rich in nutrients.⁵ Baobab fruit pulp is contain more amount of vitamin C and it is a good source of iron, calcium and magnesium, vitamin c (ascorbic acid ) and dietary fibers content in baobab tree represent the most important natural source of ascorbic acid ,while the leaves represent the content on provitamin A.⁴ A recent researcher’s suggests that there are two different species of Adansonia in mainland Africa, as the tetraploid A. digitata (found on ‘lowland baobab’) and the diploid A. kilima (found on ‘hill baobab’).²⁹ The baobab tree leaves are used in the formation of soup, and seeds are used as thickening agent in soup but they can be used as flavoring agent and eaten as snacks.⁵The baobab product is used for 17 medicinal uses, 7 food uses, and 1 construction uses.¹²The baobab species have been known to provide shade, edible fruits, resins, aesthetic sight, gums, pharmaceutical product, tannins, oils and leaves.¹⁹The socio –economic importance of the species is highest because the tree is used for various purpose.²⁰ Its major constraints are the quality changes during storage and production.²⁷ The importance of proteins in the daily intake of diet of man cannot be overemphasized, because they play essential roles in the body system of animals including man which the fact that they serve as the building block of protein in the body structural organs and play important roles in the maintenance of body structural integrity as well as function of hormones and enzymes.³² The naturally low water content present in the fruit pulp leads to long-term storage and later consumption in times of need and makes its transport to domestic and international markets easy.³⁶The history of known references to Adansonia digitata is well documented in Baum. The binomial Adansonia baobab was given by Linnaeus, the generic name of baobab honoring Michel Adansonia who had been to Senegal in the 18th century and described Baobab.³⁸ According to recent study on chloroplast DNA has show the genetic differences between baobab populations from south-eastern Africa and western.²⁸ The fruit of Adansonia digitata (baobab) tree consists of large seeds which surrounded by a sour acidic pulp and shell, and is generally found in the Northern states of Nigeria. The aim of this study is to investigation the nutritional quality of the protein extract which prepared from Baobab seeds and its potential as a component of weaning material and food.³⁴ The medicinal shrub of baobab (Bombacaceae) has 25 genera and about 250 species.²³The acceptability and optimal utilization of Adansonia digitata seed as protein source may be limited by the presence of antinutritional factors such as tannins, oxalate and phytate. Nevertheless, techniques employed for extracting protein there from are known to be effective in the elimination of the above antinutrients such as oxalate, phytate and tannins.³⁹ The consumption of seed Adansonia digitata oil has been reported to cause harmful effect such as potential health risks due to the presence of these carcinogenic ingredients with medical and mutagenic effects on animals and carcinogenic effects.¹⁸ Adansonia digitata is a multi-purpose tree generally valued for food and traditional medicine such as root tubers, twigs, fruits, seeds, leaves and flowers are all edible and have been found to possess various minerals and phytochemical (calcium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus).¹⁶ In Benin of baobab 35 food products have been recorded, with various fermented products which are yet to be characterized. Tayohounta is one of those indigenous fermented baobab foods which obtained from Benin, and its production process was only described recently.⁴⁰ It is a product belongs to the category of the alkaline fermented foods and when making soups it is used as a flavor agent.⁹

Chemical Constituents:

Baobab Leaves contain- protein, lipids, carbohydrates, ash, vitamin-c, traces of calcium, phosphorus and leaves also contain mucilage which gives galacturonic acid and glucuronic acids on hydrolysis with small quantities of galactose, rhamnose, glucose and arabinose. The fruit contain-protein, lipids, ash, calcium, vit B1, and fruit also contain furfural. Baobab seed contain -protein, lipids, ash, calcium, vitamin B1, rich in proteins, fatty acids. Young shoot, stem bark-ß sitosterol, on wounding, the bark yields a large quantity of semi fluid white gum, have acidic reaction.¹¹

Medicinal Properties of Baobab:

1. Anti-oxidant activity:

Anti-oxidant activity of baobab tree is very high than other tree due to presence of vitamin c^1,26. It prevents from oxidative stress related disease such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and inflammation¹. vitamin c is play important role in human nutrition and low blood pressure.⁴¹ Daily required vitamin c for healthy, non-smoking person 65mg/day, smoking person required more vitamins than non-smoking¹. The daily recommended of vitamin c is obtained from 13g of baobab tree. The antioxidant capacity of baobab was evaluated with the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) method.²¹Every part of the African Adansonia digitata tree such as leaves, barks, pulp and seeds have been used for several medicinal purposes in Africa. According to Willet (2001), African baobab has a good anti-oxidant property because it has high amount of Vitamin C, bioflavonoids, and pro-vitamin A.²⁴

2. Anti-inflammation activity and anti-pyretic activity:

Adansonia digitata fruits pulp have anti inflammation and anti pyretic both activity during to their presence of sterols, saponins and triterpenes. Baobab leaves and fruits are used in medicine as antipyretic or febrifuge to overcome fevers.^14,42

3. Anti-microbial activity:

Baobab tree show antibacterial activity to work against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis. Baobab stem and root barks have bioactive constituents which are responsible for anti-microbial activity. The extract of baobab stem and bark is used in traditional medicine. e.g., to treat fever caused by malaria.¹⁵

4. Antiviral activity:

Baobab tree leaves, fruit pulp and seeds show antiviral activity against influenza virus, simplex virus herpes and syncytial virus of respiratory and polio. The chemical analysis of baobab reports that presence of several potentially bioactive ingredients such as triterpenoids, flavonoids and phenolic compound.⁶ In some experiment the antiviral activity is measured by presence or absence of light.¹³

5. Antidote to poisoning:

Seeds, fruits pulp, and bark appear to contain an antidote poisoning by Strophanthus species. Baobab contain alkaloids which has a strophanthus like action.⁴³ The juice of baobab tree used widely as an arrow poison especially in East Africa, a baobab extract is poured onto the wounds of animal killed in this way to neutralize the poison before the meat is eaten. Baobab fruit pulp powder has good lubricating, binding agent, and diluting characteristics.⁶

7. Anti-diabetic activity:

Hypoglycemic activity of baobab (Adansonia digitata) stem bark, fruit pulp extract was work against streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Methanol used as solvent. Fruit pulp of baobab 300mg/kg ability to lower serum glucose comparison to chlorpropamide.¹¹

8. Hepato-Protective Activity:

The fruit pulp of baobab (Adansonia digitata) shows hepato protective activity in which wistar male albino rats used.³⁰

9. Anti-Rheumatoid Arthritic Activity:

The seeds of baobab (Adansonia digitata) have anti rheumatoid arthritic activity (which help to reduce pain) were assessed by method of complete Freund’s adjuvant induced arthritis.¹¹

10. Vitamin C healing effect:

Vitamin C is most important in human nutrition and powerful antioxidant capacity.⁴⁴ It works against to low blood pressure, enhance immunity against many tropical disease, low incidence of cataract development and coronary disease. The daily requirements of vitamin c intake for healthy life in adults are 65mg. And daily recommendation can be obtained through 23g of baobab powder.⁶

Bilirubin Content present in baobab:

The reaction between bilirubin and the diazonium salt of sulphanilic acid produced azobilirubin which shows a maximum absorption at 535 nm in an acid medium.³⁵

Non-food application of baobab- The baobab tree can also be used for various purposes. The fiber is from inner bark is strong and it is widely used for making rope, snares, fishing lines, basket nets, and is even used for weaving.⁴⁵ The roots of baobab tree are used to make a soluble red dye. The green bark is used as a dye and for decoration.⁷ The wood is a poor source of fuel.

Baobab: Flower, Mature Tree, Fruit and Seeds

Analysis of baobab fruit pulp (mg/100g)

Constituents	Quality(mg/100g)
Vitamin c	280-300
Calcium	292.9
Phosphorus	95.9-118
Protein	2.29
Potassium	2.3
Lipids	0.28
Carbohydrates	75.59
Insoluble and soluble dietary fibres	52u

Process and Sampling - The fruit content is ground and its broken using mortar pestle. Then the ground mixture is separate pulp, seeds, and fibers through sieved. In village the preparation of three products was carried out in each of three localities on next day with replication.⁸ The production was carried out mostly in rainy season. The hygienic circumstance was uncontrolled when sample were produced under local village condition.²² The sample were collected in sterile stomacher bags which contain a thermo cooler ice blocks, stored at four degrees Celsius when necessary and transfer to the laboratory for analysis.⁸ A wide set of qualitative survey techniques were used to understanding of markets for baobab products.²⁵ Based on the assumption that this was the most likely source for dispersal of Adansonia digitata across the Indian Ocean.³¹ Phytochemical screening of leaf of Adansonia digitata.³⁷

Chemicals

Quantity (%)

Terpenoid

Glycosides

Saponin

Flavonoids

Alkaloids

1.12

0.19

1.79

3.59

0.89

CONCLUSION:

Microbial contamination of baobab plant products causes a lot of inconvenience to manufacturers. So, the majority of fruit and vegetable juice manufacturers indicated that there was an essential need to control microbial spoilage as part of brand protection. The results of the study revealed that Adansonia digitata leaves contain appreciable levels of nutritional components that are essential for human health and maintenance of the body cells. It also reveals varying levels of phytochemicals capable of exhibiting free radical scavenging and antioxidant activity. Hence, consumption of baobab will go a long way in prevention of disease elicited by free radicals, oxidative stress and damage to the biopolymers of the body. However, an exact account of the contribution of baobab products to nutrition and food security was beyond the scope of our study.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

I thankful to Mr. Ravi Kumar for appreciation in this work and thanks to Dr. Girendra Kumar Gautam for valuable and support and every critical movement I thanks to Mr. Harshit Rana.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

There are no any conflict of interest by authors.

AUTHORS CONTRIBUTION:

All authors are contributing own valuable advice, management and contribution in collection of materials for this review.

REFERENCE:

1. Gimba SN, Anka ZM, Bulakarima HU, Kachallah F. Pharmacological activity of Adansonia digitata (baobab). International Journal of Current Medical and Pharmaceutical Research, Vol. 6, Issue, 01(A), January 2020, pp. 4906-4910.

2. Sa’idu URRH, Labaran HS, Olanrewaju SA, Muntari M, Ibrahim SA. Phytochemical Screening and Antibacterial Activity of Stem Bark of Baobab Tree (Adansonia digitata) on some clinical isolate, JOBIMB, Vol 8, No 2, 2020, 21-24.

3. Braca A, Sinisgalli C, Leo MD, Muscatello B, Cioni PL, Milella L, Ostuni A, Sanogo SGR. Phytochemical Profile, Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Activities of Adansonia digitata L. (Baobab) from Mali, as a Source of Health-Promoting Compounds, Molecules 2018, 23, 3104.

4. Wickens GE, Lowe P, The Baobabs: Pachycauls of Africa, Madagascar and Australia, Springer, UK, 2008.

5. Msalilwa UL, Ndakidemi PA, Makule EE, Munishi LK, “Demography of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) population in different land uses in the semi-arid areas of Tanzania,” Global Ecology and Conservation, vol. 24, p. e01372, View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar 2020.

6. Wiehle M, Prinz K, Kehlenbeck K. “African baobab (Adansonia digitata, Malvaceae): Genetic resources in neglected populations of the Nuba Mountains, Sudan,” American Journal of Botanty, vol. 101, no. 9, 2014, pp. 1498–1507.

7. Sena LP, Jagt DJV, Rivera C. “Analysis of nutritional components of eight famine foods of the Republic of Niger,” Plant Foods and Human Nutrition, vol. 52, 1998, pp. 17–30, View at: Google Scholar.

8. Codjia JTC, Fonton-Kiki B, Assogbadjo AE, MRM. Ekué, Le baobab (Adansonia digitata), une espèce à usage multiple au Bénin. Cotonou, Bénin, cecodi/cbdd/Veco/snv/fsa 2001.

9. Sidibe M, Williams JT, “Baobab, Adansonia digitata. Fruits for the future Southampton, UK,” International Centre for Underutilised Crops, vol. 4, 2002, p. 100.

10. Chadare FJ, Linnemann AR, Hounhouigan JD, Nout MJR, Van Boekel MAJS. “Baobab food products: a review on their composition and nutritional value,” Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, vol. 49, no. 3, 2009, pp. 254–274.

11. W. Lamayi, F. F. Yirankinyuki, U. Abubakar, and P. Ayim, “Nutritional evaluation of baobab seed, Danbature,” International Journal of Research in Agriculture and Forestry, vol. 2, no. 2, 2014, pp. 44–48.

12. Razafimamonjison G, Tsy JMLP, Randriamiarinarivo M, Rasoarahona PRJ, Fawbush F, Danthu P, “Fatty acid composition of baobab seed and its relationship with the Genus Adansonia Taxonomy,” Chemistry and Biodiversity, vol. 14, no. 8, 2017, article e1600441.

13. Ralaimanarivo A, Gaydou EM, Bianchini JP, “Fatty acid composition of seed oils from six Adansonia species with particular reference to cyclopropane and cyclopropene acids,” Lipids, vol. 17, no. 1, 1982, pp. 1–10.

14. Carter FL, Frampton VL, “Review of the chemistry of cyclopropene compounds,” Chemical Reviews, vol. 64, 1964, pp. 554–556. View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar.

15. Smith CR, “The occurrence of unusual fatty acids in plants,” Progress in the Chemistry of Fats and Other Lipids, vol. 11, 1970, pp. 139–177.

16. Christie WW, Gas chromatography and lipids, Barnes PJ and Associates (Oily Press Ltd.), Dundee, 1989.

17. Wilson TL, Smith CR, Mikolajczak KL, “Characterization of cyclopropenoid acids in selected seed oils,” Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, vol. 38, 1996, pp. 696–699, View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar.

18. Ahmad MS, Ahmad MU, Rauf A, Osman SM, Ballantine JA, “Cyclopropenoid fatty acids in seed oils of Urena repanda and Thespesia lampas,” Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, vol. 60, 1981, pp. 850. View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar.

19. Bohannon MB, Kleiman R, “Cyclopropene fatty acids of selected seed oils from Bombacaceae, Malvaceae, and Sterculiaceae,” Lipids, vol. 13, no. 4, 1978, pp. 270–273,. View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar.

20. Babu M, Husain S, Ahmad MU, Osman SM, “Abutilon indicum seed Oil — Characterisation of HBr-reactive acids,” Fette, Seifen, Anstrichmittel, vol. 82, no. 2, 1980, pp. 63–66, View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar.

21. Berry SK, “Fatty acid composition of 16 groundnuts (Arachis hypogaea, L.) cultivars grown under Malaysian conditions,” Pertanika, vol. 5, no. 1, 1982, pp. 20–24,. View at: Google Scholar.

22. Mustafa J, Gupta A, Ahmad MS, Ahmad F, Osman SM, “Cyclopropenoid fatty acids ingnetum scandens and itsterculia pallensseed oils,” Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, vol. 63, no. 9, 1986, pp. 1191-1192,. View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar.

23. Schmid KM, Patterson GW, “Distribution of cyclopropenoid fatty acids in malvaceous plant parts,” Phytochemistry, vol. 27, no. 9, 1988, pp. 2831–2834,. View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar.

24. Daulatabad C, Mahmood JD, Mirajkar AM, “Vernolic and cyclopropenoid fatty acids in Plectranthus mollis, syn. Plectranthus incanus, link seed oil: a rich source of oil,” Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, vol. 45, no. 2, 1989, pp. 143–146, View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar.

25. Roehm JN, Lee DJ, Wales SD, SD, Polityka, Sinnhuber RO. “The effect of dietary sterculic acid on the hepatic lipids of rainbow trout,” Lipids, vol. 5, no. 1, 1970, pp. 80–84,. View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar.

26. Abou-Ashour AM, Edwards Jr. HM. “Effect of dietary Sterculia foetida oil on the migration of 59Fe across the egg yolk vitelline membrane to albumen in stored eggs,” Journal of Nutrition, vol. 100, no. 11, 1970 pp. 1347–1351.

27. Hendrick JD, Sinnhuber RO, Lovel PM, Pawlowski NE, Nixon JE. “Hepato carcinogenicity of glandless cottonseeds and cottonseed oil to rainbow trout (Salmo gairdnerii),” Science, vol. 208, no. 4441, 1980, pp. 309–311,. View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar.

28. Sinnhuber RO, Lee DJ, Wales JH, Landers MK, Keyl AC. “Hepatic carcinogenesis of aflatoxin M1 in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) and its Enchancement by Cyclopropene fatty Acids23,” Journal of the National Cancer Institute, vol. 53, no. 5, 1974, pp. 1285–1288.

29. Tumbelaka LI, Slayden OV, Stormshak F. “Action of a cyclopropenoid fatty acid on the corpus luteum of pregnant and nonpregnant ewes1,” Biology of Reproduction, vol. 50, no. 2, 1994, pp. 253–257,. View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar.

30. Andrianaivo-rafehivola AA, Siess MH, Gaydou EM. “Modifications of hepatic drug metabolizing enzyme activities in rats fed baobab seed oil containing cyclopropenoid fatty acids,” Food and Chemical Toxicology, vol. 33, no. 5, 1995, pp. 377–382.

31. Sinnhuber RO, Wales JH, Lee JL, Ayres TW, Hunter J. “Dietary factors and hepatoma in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri). II. Cocarcino genesis by cyclopropenoid fatty acids and the effect of gossypol and altered lipids on aflatoxin-induced liver cancer,” Journal of the National Cancer Institute, vol. 41, 1968, pp. 1293–1299.

32. Lee DJ, Wales JH, Sinnhuber RO. “Promotion of aflatoxin-induced hepatoma growth in trout by methyl malvalate and ~terculate,” Cancer Research, vol. 31, 1971, pp. 960–969.

33. TFDA, Baobab oil hazardous to health, warns the Food and Drug Authority of Tanzania, Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority, 2013.

34. Kamatou G, Vermaak I, Viljoen A. “An updated review of Adansonia digitata: a commercially important African tree,” South African Journal of Botany, vol. 77, no. 4, 2011, pp. 908–919.

35. Ibrahim AI, Mahmoud MG, Asker MMS. “Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of polysaccharide from Adansonia,” International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research, vol. 25, no. 2, 2014, pp. 174–182.

36. Nieuwolt S, “Rainfall and evaporation in Tanzania,” BRALUP Research 1973, Paper No. 24, University of Dar es Salaam.

37. Hatibu N, Lazaro EA, Mahool HF, Rwehumbiza FB, Bakari AM, “Soil and water conservation in semi-arid areas of Tanzania: national policies and local practices,” Tanzania Journal of Agricultural Science, vol. 2, no. 2, 1990, pp. 151–170.

38. World Bank, Tanzania agricultural sector memorandum volume II: Main report, World Bank, 1994.

39. AOAC, Official Methods of Analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, A. O. A. C, 2000.

40. Bianchini J, Ralaimanarivo A, Gaydou EM. “Effects of heat and hydrogenation on cyclopropenoid fatty acid composition of baobab (Adansonia suarezensis) seed oil,” Journal of Food Science, vol. 48, no. 1,1983, pp. 253–255,. View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar.

41. Metcalfe L, Schmitz AA, Pelka J. “Rapid preparation of fatty acid esters from lipids for gas chromatographic analysis,” Analytical Chemistry, vol. 38, no. 3, 1966, pp. 514-515,. View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar.

42. Passera LS, “Chemical composition of papaya seeds,” Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, vol. 31, no. 1,1981, pp. 77–83,. View at: Publisher Site | Google Scholar.

43. Raimondo D, Staden LV, Foden W, Red list of South African plants, Strelitzia 25. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 2009.

44. Idris A, Nour AH, Ali MM, Erwa IY, Ishag OA. “Physicochemical properties and fatty acids composition of Sudanese baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) seed oil,” International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, vol. 11, no. 1, 2020, pp. 34–42.

45. Kadam PV, Yadav KN, Shivatare RS, Bhilwade SK, Patil MJ. “Comparative studies on fixed oil from Ocimum sanctum and Ocimum basillicum seeds,” Invention Rapid: Planta Activa, vol. 2012, no. 4, 2014, pp. 1–5.

Received on 03.01.2022 Modified on 23.01.2022

Res. J. Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics.2022;14(2):79-83.

DOI: 10.52711/2321-5836.2022.00014