African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (11), pp. 1300-1303, November 2005          
ISSN 1684–5315 © 2005 Academic Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Chemical and nutrient characterization of Solanum pseudocapsicum berries

A. A. Aliero, D. S. Grierson and A. J. Afolayan^*

Department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, Alice, 5700, South Africa.

*Corresponding Author. E-mail: Aafolayan@ufh.ac.za.

Accepted 4 August, 2005

Solanum pseudocapsicum is a poisonous plant, yet it is used in traditional medicine topically for the treatment of boils and gonorrhoea, and orally as male tonic and for abdominal pain. Chemical analyses of the berries were carried out by GC-MS and photometric procedures. Twenty-five components were identified from the GC-MS spectra, constituting 99.80% of the extract composition. The major components were predominated by alkaloids (38.55%), hydrocarbons (22.18%), fatty acid (19.38%), alcohol (13.27%), and carboxylic acids derivatives (3.73%). The results of the mineral nutrient evaluation showed that the berries contains substantial amount of phosphorous and nitrogen. The majority of the components identified in this plant are known to be poisonous, which explains the toxic nature of these berries on animals including human beings. The possible exploitation of these components as a source of pharmaceutical and biodegradable industrial raw material is discussed.

Key words: Solanum pseudocapsicum, berries, chemical composition, alkaloids nutrients.