Bush Candle Fruit (Canarium schweinfurthii): A Novel Source of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD)

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an enzymatic antioxidant that specifically scavenge superoxide radical. Plants have been the safest source of the enzyme. The aim of this research was to screen thirty (30) fruits that are locally available in Bauchi town, North-eastern Nigeria, for superoxide dismutase activity. This was done using standard methods. The result revealed that Bush candle fruit has the highest SOD activity (35.89 ± 0.04 units/g) while pawpaw has the lowest SOD activity (1.04 ± 0.02 units/g) among the screened fruits. Cyanide concentration in the fruits was also determined to see if it has influence in the ranking of the fruits in terms of SOD activity. The result revealed that all the fruits contain cyanide but its concentration has no influence in their ranking. Thus, among the thirty screened fruits, Bush candle fruit has the highest SOD activity, and may be a novel source of SOD that could be optimized in subsequent research for application in the food and health sectors.