NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION AND PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILE OF WHITE AND PINK GUAVA LEAVES WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO HEALTH PROMOTING BIOACTIVES

Guava is a tropical fruit that is widely consumed fresh. Guavas come in red and white types. All of the plant components, including the fruit, leaf, and bark, which have been used to make folklore phytomedicines in ancient times and have a variety of therapeutic applications. Aim of the study was to explore and characterize guava leaves for its nutritional and biochemical profile. Data obtained from each parameter were statistically analysed by using SPSS version 23. ANOVA was applied to compare the mean values and standard deviation was measured. Moisture (8.67±0.371) and protein (2.80±0.50) content was high in white guava leaves while 7.84±0.15 for Moisture and 3.72±0.03 for Fibre content was also high in proximate analysis of pink guava leaves. Guava leaves are the rich source of vitamins; the higher concentrations of vitamin A (72.21 ± 0.01), vitamin C (102.00± 0.03), and Folate (17.02 ± 0.01) in white and pink guava leaves which makes them a very good option for human nutrition. Calcium 1.44±0.31 and Potassium (0.76±0.00) in guava leaves were estimated high in white guava leaves whereas Ca 1.39±0.82 and zinc 1.32±0.21 content was increased in pink guava leaves. Quercetin (5.11±0.01), Quercitrin (2.37±0.01) Chlorogenic acid (0.14±0.02), Ellagic acid 1.03±0.04 and Kaempferol (3.40 ±0.01) are the flavonoids and polyphenols which showed increased values in both guava leaves. DPPH, ABTS and FRAP was also observed to evaluate the antioxidant activity. The overall results indicate that guava leaf polysaccharides, phytochemicals and antioxidants may have health benefits and may be used as a pharmaceutical or functional food ingredient.