Antioxidant Potential of Wild Edible Fruits Consumed by Tribals of Western Ghats Region in Kerala, India and Identification of Compounds by LC-MS Profiling

Wild edible plants hold significant ethnobotanical and nutraceutical importance, especially among tribal communities that rely on them for nutrition and traditional medicine. This study evaluated the antioxidant potential of three wild edible fruits such as Alangium salvifolium subsp. hexapetalum (Alangiaceae), Ardisa elliptica (Myrsinaceae), and Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae), collected from the Western Ghats region of Wayanad, Kerala, India. Methanolic extracts of the fruits were analyzed using DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS antioxidant assays. Among the studied fruits, Alangium salvifolium subsp. hexapetalum exhibited the highest antioxidant activity with the lowest IC₅₀ values: 209.43 µg/mL (DPPH), 4.32 µg/mL (FRAP), and 29.44 µg/mL (ABTS). Comparatively, Ardisa elliptica recorded IC₅₀ values of 329.57 µg/mL (DPPH), 17.04 µg/mL (FRAP), and 49.65 µg/mL (ABTS), while Solanum nigrum showed the lowest activity with IC₅₀ values of 765.35 µg/mL (DPPH), 34.49 µg/mL (FRAP), and 109.73 µg/mL (ABTS). Given its superior antioxidant capacity, Alangium salvifolium subsp. hexapetalum was further analyzed using High Resolution-Liquid Chromatograph Mass Spectrometry (HR-LCMS), leading to the identification of bioactive compounds potentially responsible for its antioxidant effects. These findings highlight the nutraceutical potential of wild edible fruits and underscore the importance of preserving indigenous knowledge regarding their use.