Assessment of kokum (Garcinia indica Choisy) germplasm for its nutraceutical potential with special emphasis on anthocyanins by LC-Orbitrap-MS analysis

Abstract

In India, specifically within the Western Ghats region of Maharashtra, the kokum fruit (Garcinia indica Choisy) remains an underutilized wild edible resource. Despite its consumption by local communities, there is a paucity of data regarding its nutritional composition and antioxidant properties. This study was conducted to investigate the total phenolic content (TPC), flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant properties, and nutritional potential of 32 unexplored genotypes of kokum fruit. The results indicate that kokum fruit is abundant in garcinol and natural pigments anthocyanins. Garcinol was quantitatively analyzed using LC-MS/MS, revealing the highest concentration in Type T27. The highest anthocyanin content was in Type T7, ranging from 0.198 ± 0.03079–4.8757 ± 0.09943 mg/g and this type also exhibited the highest TPC and antioxidant activity. TFC peaked in Type T20. High-resolution Orbitrap LC-MS analysis identified 42 anthocyanin derivatives, predominantly cyanidin derivatives (83.53 %), followed by pelargonidins (6.90 %), peonidins (5.20 %), delphinidins (2.03 %), and petunidins (2.10 %). Chemometric analysis using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed a strong positive correlation among the kokum types, with Principal Component 1 (PC1) accounting for 96.3 % of the variance in the multivariate data. Ten promising kokum genotypes were grouped into two clusters that displayed optimal conditions for anthocyanin derivative production. These findings suggest that these underexploited kokum genotypes are significant sources of the natural pigment anthocyanin and the anticancer compound garcinol. These components hold potential applications across various industries, including food, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and nutraceuticals, due to their health benefits.

Highlights

Introduction

Garcinia indica Choisy, commonly known as kokum, is a tropical fruit belonging to the Clusiaceae family and holds medicinal and economic significance, yet remains largely unexplored. Predominantly found in the Western Ghats, particularly the Konkan region of Maharashtra, kokum cultivation spans approximately 2200 ha with a production of around 10,000–12,000 metric tons, mainly in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts (Latha et al., 2024, Haldankar et al., 2012). Kokum fruit is traditionally utilized for its dried rind, syrup, and butter, known locally as ratamba, bhirand, kokamba, and tambadaamba. In traditional Indian medicine, kokum has been employed to treat ailments such as dysentery, pain, piles, and cardiovascular conditions (Swami et al., 2014, Kalse et al., 2024).

Recent studies highlight kokum’s potential as a source of nutraceutical compounds. It contains hydroxycitric acid (HCA), known for its role in metabolic regulation and appetite suppression, alongside polyphenols and flavonoids that exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities (Lim et al., 2021, Karmakar et al., 2024). These compounds may offer therapeutic benefits, such as lipid metabolism modulation and gut microbiota support, indicating kokum’s potential as a functional food ingredient (Ahmed et al., 2024). Anthocyanins, primarily cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-sambubioside, contribute to kokum’s vibrant color and health benefits, with concentrations reaching 2.4 g per 100 g of fruit. These water-soluble pigments are promising for use in food products due to their bioactive properties, which include anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-inflammatory effects (Yousuf et al., 2016, Pinela et al., 2019). Global demand for natural food colorants is expected to reach $1.54 billion by 2030, highlighting kokum’s commercial relevance (https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/). In addition to anthocyanins, kokum is a valuable source of garcinol, a polyisoprenylated benzophenone, constituting 2–3 % of total pigments and recognized for its antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-ulcer, and anti-cancer properties (Karmakar et al., 2024). Advanced extraction techniques, such as direct osmosis, enable the enrichment of kokum’s bioactive compounds, achieving significant volume reductions with high anthocyanin content (Nayak et al., 2010).

Considering the huge nutraceutical and medicinal properties of this crop, there is a need to identify the best genotypes having higher bio-active concentration and horticultural traits so that this can be recommended as commercial variety for its industrial utilization. This study undertakes a comparative analysis of 32 kokum genotypes from Maharashtra’s Konkan region, focusing on their biochemical profiles, garcinol levels, and anthocyanin composition. Further, we explored the high end analytical equipment like liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for quantification of garcinol and High resolution LC-Orbitrap-MS instrument for estimation of anthocyanin profile. The identification of genotypes with high concentrations of these bio-actives could drive kokum’s industrial applications in food, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals.

Results and discussions

Under Konkan agro climatic conditions, thirty-two kokum types were selected for the present study and the information regarding location/source was given in Table S1, initiation of flowering and harvesting period of kokum types was given in Table S2, fruit yield attributes were given in Table S3. Harvesting period of these kokum types were from March to April. The average age of used kokum trees were 30–40 years. The kokum is non-climacteric fruit, therefore fruits were harvested at fully ripe

Conclusions

This study presents an analysis of bioactive components and anthocyanin profiling for 32 genotypes of Garcinia indica Choisy (kokum) from the Konkan region of Maharashtra, India. The previously underexplored G. indica species is notable for its high content of phenolic compounds and color pigments, making it of particular interest to the food and medicinal industries. The study successfully delineated and quantified the anthocyanin composition of ten promising G. indica accessions

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Mahesh Shedge, T.P. Shabeer Ahammed, Parag Haldankar, Pratap Kadam, Vijaya Godase, Sachin Ekatpure, Nasiruddin Shaikh, C.D. Pawar, Vijay Dalvi, Manish Kasture, Sanjay Sawant, Assessment of kokum (Garcinia indica Choisy) germplasm for its nutraceutical potential with special emphasis on anthocyanins by LC-Orbitrap-MS analysis, Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, Volume 140, 2025, 107257, ISSN 0889-1575,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2025.107257.