Assessment of physicochemical properties, nutrient contents and colorant stability of the two varieties of Malabar spinach (Basella alba L.) fruits

Malabar spinach (Basella alba L.) are excellent sources of natural colorant. To upgrade this natural colorant for the food and pharmaceutical industries, this study focuses on assessing the physicochemical properties, nutrient constituent and stability of the colorant of the two varieties (native and hybrid) of B. alba L fruits. Standard procedures of refractive index, specific gravity, viscosity, total soluble solid (TSS), pH and proximate analysis were used to assess the physicochemical properties and nutrient constituents. In physicochemical analysis, total soluble solids of the native and hybrid were7.45 (degrees)Brix; 6.13 (degrees)Brix, and 43.04 mg/100g and 46.47 mg/100g, respectively but values were significant in native, in contrast viscosity were 4.92 mPa s and 5.68 mPa s but it was significant in hybrid (p < 0.01). The ash, protein, dietary fiber, reducing sugar, and total sugar contents were 3.30, 8.87, 34.58, 0.70 and 1.83 g/100g respectively, these values were higher and significant in native (p < 0.01; p < 0.001). In contrast, moisture and carbohydrate contents were 62.30 and 7.76 g/100g respectively, values were higher and significant in hybrid (p < 0.05). In mineral analysis, K, Na, and Fe content 388.64, 48.37 and 29.09 mg/ 100g respectively and were the most abundant in native, whereas Ca, Mg, P, Zn, and Cu contents were 71.44, 49.45, 13.80, 0.50 and 0.09 mg/100g respectively, values were larger and significant (p < 0.05; p < 0.01; p < 0.001) in hybrid. The ss-carotene and vitamin C were 274.90 mu g/ 100g and 12.81 mu g/g respectively and values were significant in native (p < 0.01; p < 0.001). A remarkable amount of unsaturated fatty acids was found in native as compared to hybrid, whilst saturated fatty acids were prominent in the hybrid. The stability of the colorant for both varieties had no significant effects on pH and fringing conditions, but temperature and light had significant effects on color stability (p < 0.01). Finally, this study reveals that both varieties of Malabar spinach (Basella alba L.) can be a good source of nutrients with potential color (betalains) stability, that could be a components in the food and pharmaceutical products.