International Journal of Contemporary Applied Sciences
(ISSN: 2308-1365)
Vol. 2, No. 9, September 2015
www.ijcas.net
Mineral Constituents, Physicochemical Properties and Infrared
Characterization of the Extract of Cactus Pod Plant
*
Adebayo O.R1, Farombi A.G2, Efunwole O. O2 and Oyekanmi A.M1
1
Department of Applied Sciences, Osun State Polytechnic Iree.
2
Department of Science Laboratory Technology Osun State Polytechnic Iree.
* Corresponding author: E-mail adebayo _ olukemi @yahoo.co.uk
[email protected]
Abstract
Mineral constituents of cactus pod was determined using standard analytical method and its
infrared characterization was obtained using Perkin –Elmer model 2380, USA scanning Infrared
Spectrophotometer The physicochemical characteristics of cactus pod were also determined. The
results of the mineral analysis (mg/g) showed sodium(14462.5),magnesium (789.70), calcium
(4869.10), potassium (82.63),manganese (19.18), zinc (19.48), Lead (1.40), cadium (0.14), copper
(0.85) and iron (23.69).The physicochemical properties of the cactus pod were as follows
(mg/KOH): peroxide oxide (1.43), Free fatty acid (0.48) and acid value (12.5).While iodine and
saponification values were not detected. The infrared indicated the presence of alcohols and
phenols at 3425 cm-1 absorption peak. Absorption peak at 2925.71 indicated the presence of alkanes
. The peak absorption at 1632.60cm-1 indicates the presence of alkenes. The absorption peak at
1047cm-1 and 516.74cm- indicates the presence of sulfoxide (S=O) and disulfide (S-S) respectively
.These results indicate the basis that the cactus pod plant can be use as local remedies for
prevention of termites in the environment
Keywords : Sulfoxide (S=O),disulfide (S-S), physicochemical properties, cactus pod, mineral
constituents
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International Journal of Contemporary Applied Sciences
(ISSN: 2308-1365)
Vol. 2, No. 9, September 2015
www.ijcas.net
1. INTRODUCTION
Cactus plant is a member of the plant family, Cactaceae, within the order Caryophyllales.
The plural of cactus varies; the Latin cacti, the English cactuses and the uninflected plural cactus
are all used (Merrian, 2012). Cacti have a variety of uses: some species are used as ornamental
plants; others are grown for fodder or forage, others for food (particularly their fruit). Most cacti
live in habitats which are subject to at least some degree of drought. Many live in extremely dry
environments, even being found in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on earth. Cacti
show many adaptations to conserve water. Most species of cacti have lost true leaves, retaining
only spines, which are highly modified leaves. As well as defending against herbivores, spines
reduce air flow close to the cactus and provide some shade, both of which help to prevent water
loss. Cactus spines are produced from specialized structures called areoles, a kind of highly reduced
branch; areoles are an identifying feature of cacti. As well as spines, areoles give rise to flowers,
which are usually tubular and multi- Cacti show a wide variety of growth habits, which are difficult
to divide into clear, simple categories. Cacti can be treelike (arborescent), meaning that, they
typically have a single more-or-less woody trunk topped by several to many branches. In the genus
Pereskia the branches are covered with leaves, so that species of this genus may not be recognized
as cacti. In most other cacti, the branches are more typically cactus-like, bare of leaves and bark and
covered with spines, as in Pachycereu pringlei or the larger opuntias. Some cacti may become treesized but without branches, such as larger specimens of Echinocactus platyacanthus. Cacti may
also be described as shrubby, with several stems coming from the ground or from branches very
low down, such as in Stenocereus thurberi. (Anderson, 2001).
Botanically, "spines" are distinguished from "thorns": spines are modified leaves, thorns are
modified branches. Cacti produce spines, always from areoles as noted above. Spines are present
even in those cacti which have leaves, such as Pereskia, Pereskiopsis and Maihuenia. Some cacti
only have spines when young, possibly only when seedlings. This is particularly true of tree-living
cacti such as Rhipsalis or malic acid, retaining it until daylight returns and only then using it in
photosynthesis. Because transpiration takes place during the cooler, more humid night hours, water
loss is significantly reduced. A few members of the family are significantly different in appearance
from most cacti. At least superficially, plants of the genus Pereskia resemble the other trees and
shrubs which grow around them. They have persistent leaves and, when older, bark-covered stems.
Their areoles identify them as cacti, and in spite of their appearance they have many adaptations for
water conservation. Pereskia is considered to be close to the ancestral species from which all cacti
evolved. In tropical regions, other cacti grow as forest climbers and epiphytes (plants which grow
on trees). Their stems are typically flattened, almost leaf-like in appearance, with fewer or even no
spines, like the well known Christmas cactus or Thanksgiving cactus (in the genus Schlumbergera).
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International Journal of Contemporary Applied Sciences
(ISSN: 2308-1365)
Vol. 2, No. 9, September 2015
www.ijcas.net
Many species of cactus have long, sharp spines, like this Opuntia schlumbergera, but groundliving cacti such as Ariocarpus also lack spines when mature.(Anderson,2001).The spines of cacti
are often useful in identification, since they vary greatly between species in number, color, size,
shape and hardness, as well as in whether all the spines produced by an areole are similar or
whether they are of distinct kinds. Most spines are straight or at most slightly curved, and are
described as hair-like, bristle-like, needle-like or awl-like, depending on their length and thickness.
Other cacti have spines which are hooked; sometimes one or more central spines will be hooked
while outer spines are straight (e.g. Mammillariarekoi) (Anderson, 2006).Cacti have many other
uses. As well as being used for human food, cacti are used as fodder for animals, usually after
burning off their spines. (Shetty et al., 2011). In addition to their use as psychoactive agents, some
cacti are employed in traditional medicine. (Anderson.,2001).Cacti are used as construction
materials. Livingcactus fences are employed as barricades. The woody parts of cacti such as
Cereus repandus and Echinopsis atacamensis are used in buildings and in furniture. The very fine
spines and hairs (trichomes) of some cacti were used as a source of fiber for filling pillows and in
weaving. (Anderson.,2001)
The aim of this research work is to study the mineral constituents, physicochemical properties and
Infrared characterization of the extract of cactus pod plant in order to utilized is maximum potential
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
2.1 Sources and processing of plant materials.
The raw material used in this research work was obtained from a farm land at Halleluyah Estate,
Osun State, and South Western part of Nigeria. The fresh sample was oven-dried at 105OC for 48
hours; it
was grinded with mortar and pestle, sieved mechanically and packed into a tight polythene bag for
further analysis
2.2 Methods
2.2.1 Determination of mineral content
The level of Na and K were determined using Flame Photometry. The standard solution of
100mg/ml of Na and K were prepared from NaCl and KCI salt. Working standard of 0, 2,4,6,8
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International Journal of Contemporary Applied Sciences
(ISSN: 2308-1365)
Vol. 2, No. 9, September 2015
www.ijcas.net
and 10 mg/l were prepared from the solution by serial dilution .Each standard was aspirated
into the Flame Photometer (Jenway FP9) and its emission recorded to prepare a standard curve.
The prepared solution for each extract was also aspirated into the flame photometer and their
emission recorded. The Na and K concentration were calculated from the standard curve. The
level of Ca, Mg, was determined by titrimetry. Five drops of 2% KCN followed by 5 drops of
hydroxyl ammonium chloride were added to 10ml of sample solution. Ammonium buffer was
then added 10ml sample solution to raise the PH to 11.3 followed by the addition of 3 drops of
Eriochrome black T indicator . The solution obtained was titrated against 0.01M EDTA until a
blue colour was obtained. The Ca /Mg concentration was calculated from the titre value. The
determination of the levels of Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu was carried out using atomic absorption
spectrophotometry (Perkin Elmer, 1982, Gafar et al., (2012).
2.2.2 The infrared spectrum of the cactus pod plant extract was determined using scanning
Infrared Spectrophotometer, Perkin –Elmer model, 2380, USA. While KBr was used in the
sample preparation (AOAC, 1990).
2.2.3 The free fatty acid and peroxide values were determined using the methods of Devine
and Williams (1961) and the acid value was determined using the method of AOAC (2005)
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSION
3.1
Results
Table 1: Mineral Composition of Cactus Pod Plant
Parameters
Sodium
Magnesium
Calcium
Potassium
Manganese
Zinc
Lead
Cadmium
Copper
Iron
Mean of duplicate determination ± S.D
34
Compositions (mg/kg)
1446.5±0.01
789.70±0.21
4869.10±0.02
82.63±0.01
19.18±1.00
19.48±0.01
1.40±0.03
0.14±0.02
0.85±0.010
23.69±0.02
International Journal of Contemporary Applied Sciences
(ISSN: 2308-1365)
Vol. 2, No. 9, September 2015
www.ijcas.net
The mineral compositions of the sample are depicted in (mg/kg) Table 1. The most abundant
mineral in the sample was sodium (14462.5). This value is high when compared with the value of
Jatropha ( 170 mg/kg) as reported by (Ilelaboye and Pikuda,2009). However, low sodium content
may be desirable where diets are already over laden with sodium (James et al., 1987).
The potassium content of the sample used in this study is generally low compared with potassium
content of Mucuna utilis (14290.00 mg/kg) as reported by Iyayi and Egharevab (1998).This is in
agreement with many reports in the literature, Afolabi et al. (1985) and Olaofe and Sanni (1980)
that potassium is the predominant mineral in Nigeria agricultural products. The value of calcium in
the sample was (4869.10) this value is higher than (1040.00 mg/kg) reported for Mucuna utilis by
Iyayi and Egharevab (1998). Calcium plays an important role in strengthening the tissues and bones
of the body. The magnesium content (789.70) of the sample was lower than the quantity Oloyo
(2004) reported for Cajanus cajan (889.00 mg/kg) and have lower magnesium content than the
values of magnesium (11000.00 mg/kg) reported for (mucuna utilis) beans seeds by Ravindran and
Ravindran (1988). Magnesium is very important in humans, especially in the formation of bones
and teeth. The zinc content (19.48) of the sample is considerably low to the values reported by
Amoo et al. (2006) for seeds for Psophocarpus tetrogonolobus 364.76 mg/kg, Eugenia uniflora
273.34 mg/kg and orchid fruit myristica 310.74 mg/kg. The value of the manganese was content
(19.18), However, the value is higher than value reported for mucuna bean seeds (10.00 mg/kg) by
Ravindran and Ravindran (1988) and (26.49 mg/kg) by Iyayi and Egharevab (1998). The iron
content was (23.69) which is lower than the iron content (200-810 mg/kg) of some under-exploited
leguminous seeds in Nigeria as reported by Balogun and Fetuga (1986). The value of copper in the
content of the sample was lower (0.85) when compared with the value of (43.00 mg/kg) of C.
vulgaris as reported by (Ilelaboye and Pikuda,2009). Copper like tannins is a Polyphenolic
compound, known to mineral that facilitates the absorption of iron and its low availability may
account for low content of iron in the sample (Clifford, 1971). The values of lead (1.40) and
cadmium (0.14) in the analyzed sample were low.
TABLE 2: Physicochemical properties
Parameter
Iodine
Saponification
Peroxide value (mgKOH/g)
Free fatty acid (mgKOH/g
Acid (mgKOH/g)
Constituents
Nil
Nil
1.43±0.01
0.48±10
12.8±0.1
Values are mean ± standard deviation of triplicate determination
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International Journal of Contemporary Applied Sciences
(ISSN: 2308-1365)
Vol. 2, No. 9, September 2015
www.ijcas.net
The physicochemical properties of the cactus pod plant oil were shown in Table 2. The free fatty
acid value (0.48 mg/g -1) of Cactus pod plant oil is lower than the reported for cashew nut oil (28.4
± 0.1 mg/g -1 ) by Aremu et al., (2006). The lower the free fatty acid value the better quality of the
oil. The oil had a low acid value of (12.5mg/KOH) when compared with Plukenetia conophora
(11.5 mgKOHg-1) as reported by Akintayo and Bayer (2002) and benniseeds (47.6%) reported by
Oshodi (1992). The peroxide value of (1.43) for cactus pod plant oil is lower than the range (2.77.4) reported for some locally-processed Nigeria palm oil (Aletor et al., 1990) and also lower
compared with the value reported for Curcubita maxima (2.08) by Oladejo (2001). The low value is
an indication that the oil has not undergone auto-oxidation and so not rancid at the time of the
analysis (Adeyeye, 1978).Iodine and saponification values were not detected.
TABLE 3: Infrared concentration of the extract of cactus pod plant
Concentrations
Compounds reveals
0.236
Ethyl 4-Chloro-2 Cyanoaceto acetate
0.227
2-Thenoyltrifluoroacetone
0.199
2-Hydroxyacetophenone
0.194
3-Methoxyphenylacetonitrile
0.181
p-Tolylacetonitrile
0.163
2-Methoxyphenylacetonitrile
0.150
Acetoxyacetone
0.149
2,5-Dihyroxyacetophenone
0.147
Ethyl 4,4,4-Trichloroacetoacetate
0.143
Acetonylacetone
The infrared spectrum of methanolic extract of cactus pod plant is shown in figure 1. The
absorption
band at 3425 cm-1 indicates the presence of alcohols and phenols which is within the range of
3200-3550 cm-1.The absorption peak at 2925 cm-1 observed indicates the presence of alkanes
which is within the range of 2850-3000cm-1.The peak absorption at 1632.60cm-1 indicates the
alkenes which is within the range of 1630-1680 cm-1.The absorption peak at 1047 cm-1 indicates
the presence of sulfoxide (S=O) which is within the range of 1030-1060 cm-1. The absorption
band at 516.74 cm-1 indicates the presence of disulfide (S –S) which falls within the range of
500-540 cm-1.
36
International Journal of Contemporary Applied Sciences
(ISSN: 2308-1365)
Vol. 2, No. 9, September 2015
www.ijcas.net
Figure 1: Infrared Spectrum of extracted cactus pod plant
4. CONCLUSION
The results of this study have shown that the pod of cactus plant contained essential mineral, some
physicochemical properties and reasonable organic compound as sulfoxide, disulfide, alcohol,
phenol, alkenes and alkanes which is the reactive site at which the ethyl 4-chloro-2cyano
acetoacetate is presence in the cactus pod. These organic compounds has a fumigative and acidic
properties that make it useful as a local remedy to control termites, an household enemies that
destroy woods
5. RECOMMENDATION
Due to the functional compound which is the reactive site presence in the pod of the cactus plant,
We thereby recommend that further studies be carried out on the flowers, stem, spine and roots in
order to detect its effectiveness in the plant
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International Journal of Contemporary Applied Sciences
(ISSN: 2308-1365)
Vol. 2, No. 9, September 2015
www.ijcas.net
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