Dennettia tripetala is a species of flowering plant in the Annonaceae family. It is a shrub or tree native to western and west-central tropical Africa, including Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon.[2] It is threatened by habitat loss.[1]
| Dennettia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Magnoliales |
| Family: | Annonaceae |
| Genus: | Dennettia Baker f. (1913) |
| Species: | D. tripetala
|
| Binomial name | |
| Dennettia tripetala (Baker f.)
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
|
Uvariopsis tripetala (Baker f.) G.E.Schatz (2003) | |
Nomenclature
editD. tripetala is known colloquially in English as the pepper fruit. It is also called mmimmi by the Igbo, ata igebere or igberi by the Yoruba, imako by the Niger Deltans and Urhobo, ako by residents of Benin and nkarika by the Efik.[citation needed]
Description
editThree broad green sepals and golden fleshy petals make up the pepper fruit. The oblong-shaped leaves alternate one on top of the other and taper at the tip.
Uses
editThe leaves of D. tripetala may be dried and kept for a very long time without succumbing to microbial growth. U. tripetala fruits can be used as food and herbs to make herbal remedies, according to Okwu and Morah.[3] The pepper fruit's fruits, leaves, and roots are all used in traditional medicine preparations.[4]
Food
editEssential oils and volatile oils are both present in pepper fruit. This fruit's volatile and essential (oleoresin) oils, which make up a significant portion of its composition, give it flavor, aroma, and pungency. In the eastern portion of Nigeria, it is typically offered with palm wine, garden eggs, bitter kola, and kola nuts for festivals, ceremonials, coronations, traditional weddings, naming rituals, new yam festivities, and other occasions. According to Keay (1989),[5] when chewed, pepper fruit has an extremely peppery flavor. When people chew this peppery food, they frequently feel stimulated.
The fruit of the D. tripetala can be used to season and flavor a variety of foods, including white soup, spicy fish, hot drinks, alcoholic beverages, beverages, meat, vegetables, stew, sauces, and sausages.[6] investigated the viability of utilizing the pepper fruit in place of ginger while making zobo drinks. According to their research, pepper fruit can effectively replace ginger in the preparation of zobo drinks.
Nutritional value
editD. tripetala contains 0.42% magnesium, 1.80% calcium, 2.50% potassium, 9.84% crude fibers, 15.31% crude protein, 8.0% moisture, 62% carbohydrate, 3.47% crude lipids, and 0.33% phosphorus, as well as trace amounts of cadmium, iron, zinc, and copper, according to Okwu and Morah's 2004[3] study. Water-soluble vitamins like niacin, ascorbic acid, riboflavin, and thiamine are also present in pepper fruit.
Medicinal
editPepper fruit find wide use among traditional remedies in West Africa.[7][4] Health claims that have been researched include:
- Postnatal care: Achinewhu et al. (1995),[8] investigated the use of pepper fruit seeds in food given to new mothers to help the uterus contract.
- Bactericidal properties: A 2013 study by Ogbonna et al.[9] investigated the value of U tripetala seed extract for both bactericidal and bacteriostatic applications. The seed extract may be useful to stop and stop the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms.[10]
- Anti-inflammatory: Oyemitan et al.,[11] investigated the pepper fruit's essential oil for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory characteristics.
- Antimicrobial: Aderogba et al. investigated the antimicrobial properties of U. tripetala.[12]
- Anosike et al., (2016)[13] evaluated the anti-ulcer ability of ethanol extract from pepper fruit seed extract.
- Glaucoma: Timothy and Okere[14] researched the use of pepper fruit to lower intraocular pressure (IOP) in glaucoma patients.
Insecticide
editAccording to a 2015 study by Akinbuluma et al. pepper fruit can be utilized to make pesticides. The plant-based products are effective against Sitophilus zeamais Motsch., the maize weevil, and other insects and pests. This plant's pungency and peppery flavor are what give it its insecticidal properties.[15]
References
edit- ^ a b Harvey-Brown, Y. (2019). "Uvariopsis tripetala". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T34669A149069409. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T34669A149069409.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- ^ a b Dennettia tripetala Baker f. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ a b Okwu, DE; Morah, FNI (2004). "Mineral and nutritive value of Dennettia tripetala fruits". Fruits. 59 (6): 437–439. doi:10.1051/fruits:2005006.
- ^ a b Iwu, M. M. (1989), Food for medicine, in Dietary plants and masticastors as sources of biologically active substances, University of Ife Press. Pp. 303 – 307.
- ^ Keay, RWJ (1989). Trees of Nigeria. Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press. pp. 19–25. ISBN 9780198545606.
- ^ Ihemeje, A; Ojinnaka, MC; Obi, KC; Ekwe, CC (2013). "Biochemical evaluation of pepper fruit (dennettia tripetala) and its use as substitute for ginger in zobo drink production". Academic Research International. 4 (6): 513–517 – via Academia.edu.
- ^ Egharevba, HO; Idah, EA (2015). "Major Compounds from the Essential Oil of the Fruit and Comparative Phytochemical Studies of the Fruits and Leaves of Dennettia tripetala Barker F. Found in North Central Nigeria" (PDF). International Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemical Research. 7 (6): 1262–1266.
- ^ Achinewhu, SC; Ogbonna, CC; Hart, AD (1995). "Chemical composition of indigenous wild herbs, spices, fruits, nuts and leafy vegetable used as food". Plant Foods for Human Nutrition. 48 (4): 341–380. doi:10.1007/BF01088493. PMID 8882372.
- ^ Ogbonna, AO; Ikeyi, AP; Nweke, OE; Ugwu, OPC (2013). "Studies on the effect of aqueous extract of dennettia tripetala seeds on Escherichia coli". Int. J Res. Reviews Pharmacy App. Sci. 3 (6): 858–866.
- ^ Muhammed, D; Adebiyi, YH; Odey, BO; Alawode, RA; Lawal, A; Okunlola, BM; Ibrahim, J; Berinyuy, EB (2021). "Dennettia tripetala (Pepper Fruit), a review of its ethno-medicinal use, phyto-constituents, and biological properties". GSC Advanced Research and Reviews. 6 (3): 035–043. doi:10.30574/gscarr.2021.6.3.0024.
- ^ Oyemitan, IA; Iwalewa, EO; Akanmu, MA; Olugbade, TA (2008). "Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of essential oil of Dennettia tripetala G. Baker (Annonaceae) in rodents". African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines. 5 (4): 355–360. doi:10.4314/ajtcam.v5i4.31290. PMC 2816588. PMID 20161957.
- ^ Aderogba, MA; Akinkunmi, EO; Mabusela, WT (2011). "Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of flavonoid and glycosides from Dennettia tripetala G. Baker leaf extract". Nigerian Journal of Natural Product Medicine. 15: 49–50. doi:10.4314/njnpm.v15i1.3.
- ^ Anosike, CA; Okagu, IU; Uchenna, OK (2016). "Phytoconstituents, acute toxicity study and protective effect of ethanol extract of Dennettia Tripetala". International Journal of Advanced Science and Research. 1 (4): 1–6.
- ^ Timothy, CO; Okere, CO (2008). "Effect of Dennettia tripetela (Mmimi) seed intake on the IOP of normotensive emmetropic Nigerian Igbos". Journal of the Nigerian Optometric Association. 14: 14–16. doi:10.4314/jnoa.v14i1.55583.
- ^ Akinbuluma, MD; Adepetun, MT; Yeye, EO (2015). "Insecticidal Effects of Ethanol Extracts of Capsicum Frutescens and Dennettia Tripetala against Sitophilus Zeamais Motschulsky on Stored Maize" (PDF). International Journal of Research in Agriculture and Forestry. 2 (11): 1–7.