Assessment of Bio-Preservative Effects of Aqueous and Ethanolic Extracts of Syzygium Guineense Leaves on The Nutritional Composition of Tomato Fruit

Abstract: The search for natural bioactive compounds that can serve as alternatives to synthetic preservatives has also double-paced. This study investigates the preservative efficacy of Syzygium guineense leaf extracts on the proximate and mineral composition of Tomato fruits. The proximate and mineral analyses of tomato fruits preserved by S. guineense leaf extracts were determined. A significant decrease in the Potassium, Magnesium and Sodium contents of the preserved tomatoes at 40C were also observed, while the percentage of Calcium increased. Preserved tomato shows a lower considerable loss in the Moisture (from 90.99 to 87.86%), Crude fibre (from 0.39 to 0.32) and Carbohydrate contents (from 3.81 to 2.55). Preservative study revealed that ethanolic extract of S. guineense extends the shelf of tomato at 250C and 40C beyond 14 and 21days respectively while the control samples showed a rapid deterioration in texture, colour and weight within 7 and 16days respectively. There was significant difference in both the proximate and mineral composition of the treated and control tomato samples. Hence, the crude or fractionated components of S. guineense leaf extracts may serve as alternative preservative agents to synthetic preservatives in extending the shelf life of tomato fruits.