Sains Malaysiana 52(4)(2023): 1121-1132

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2023-5204-07

Effect of Fertilization on Expression of Bioactive Carotenoid and Chlorophyll Pigments in Clinacanthus nutans Lindau for Potential Use as Functional Natural Colourants

(Kesan Pembajaan terhadap Ekspresi Pigmen Karotenoid dan Klorofil Bioaktif pada Clinacanthus nutans Lindau untuk Potensi Kegunaan sebagai Pewarna Fungsian Semula Jadi)

ZUHAILI YUSOF¹, NOOR ZALINA MAHMOOD^1,*, RASHIDI OTHMAN³ & JAMILAH SYAFAWATI YAACOB^1,2

¹Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory, Malaysia

²Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture (CEBAR), Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

³Herbarium Unit, Department of Landscape Architecture, Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design, International Islamic University Malaysia, 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Received: 8 April 2022/Accepted: 17 March 2023

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the different effects of fertilization (through the use of vermicompost and chemical fertilizer) on carotenoid composition as well as the chlorophyll content in Clinacanthus nutans Lindau. A field study employing a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) was conducted on four treatment groups; control plants that were not supplied with any fertilizer (NF), plants supplemented with NPK chemical fertilizer (FC), plants supplemented with vermicompost (FV), and plants supplied with the mixture of chemical fertilizer and vermicompost (FM). Vermicompost application was shown to have insignificant effects on the expression of chlorophyll and carotenoid in C. nutans as compared to chemical fertilizer. However, the supplementation of vermicompost (FV and FM) produced plants with greater stability of compounds during storage, in contrast to NF and FC. The major carotenoids in C. nutans methanolic extracts supplied with vermicompost and organic fertilizers were identified as violaxanthin, lutein, α-Carotene and β-Carotene, while control plants lacked in α-Carotene and β-Carotene. This analysis provides a better insight into the application of vermicompost as an alternative source of growth supplements for the sustainable production of pigments which can act as a functional natural colourant and deliver great medicinal benefits to humans.

Keywords: Carotenoid; Clinacanthus nutans; extract storage; total chlorophyll content; vermicompost

Abstrak

Penyelidikan ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji kesan berbeza pembajaan (melalui penggunaan vermikompos dan baja kimia) terhadap komposisi karotenoid serta kandungan klorofil dalam Clinacanthus nutans Lindau. Kajian lapangan yang menggunakan Reka Bentuk Blok Lengkap Rawak (RCBD) telah dijalankan ke atas empat kumpulan rawatan; tumbuhan kawalan yang tidak dibekalkan dengan sebarang baja (NF), tumbuhan yang ditambah dengan baja kimia NPK (FC), tumbuhan yang ditambah dengan vermikompos (FV) dan tumbuhan yang dibekalkan dengan campuran baja kimia dan vermikompos (FM). Penggunaan vermikompos telah ditunjukkan mempunyai kesan yang tidak ketara terhadap ekspresi klorofil dan karotenoid dalam C. nutans berbanding dengan baja kimia. Walau bagaimanapun, penambahan vermikompos (FV dan FM) menghasilkan tumbuhan dengan kestabilan sebatian yang lebih tinggi semasa penyimpanan, berbeza dengan NF dan FC. Karotenoid utama dalam ekstrak metanol C. nutans yang dibekalkan dengan vermikompos dan baja organik dikenal pasti sebagai violaxanthin, lutein, α-Karotena dan β-Karotena, manakala tumbuhan kawalan kekurangan α-Karotena dan β-Karotena. Analisis ini memberikan gambaran yang lebih baik tentang pengaplikasian vermikompos sebagai sumber alternatif tambahan tumbesaran untuk pengeluaran pigmen yang mampan yang boleh bertindak sebagai pewarna semula jadi yang berfungsi dan memberikan manfaat perubatan yang hebat kepada manusia.

Kata kunci: Clinacanthus nutans; jumlah kandungan klorofil; karotenoid; simpanan ekstrak; vermikompos

REFERENCES

Acevedo, I.C. & Pire, R. 2004. Effects of vermicompost as substrate amendment on the growth of papaya (Carica papaya L.). Interciencia 29(5): 274-279.

Ali, H., Karsani, S.A., Othman, R. & Yaacob, J.S. 2018. Production of coloured callus in Orthosiphon stamineus Benth and antioxidant properties of the extracted pigments. Pigment and Resin Technology 47(3): 196-207.

Ayalew, W.A. & Ayele, D.W. 2016. Dye-sensitized solar cells using natural dye as light-harvesting materials extracted from Acanthus sennii chiovenda flower and Euphorbia cotinifolia leaf. Journal of Science: Advanced Materials and Devices 1(4): 488-494.

Benzie, I.F.F. & Strain, J.J. 1996. The ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) as a measure of “antioxidant power”: the FRAP assay. Analytical Biochemistry 239(1): 70-76.

Boardman, N.K. 1977. Comparative photosynthesis of sun and shade plants. Annual Review of Plant Physiology 28: 355-377.

Cabanas-Echevarría, M., Torres-García, A., Díaz-Rodríguez, B., Ardisana, E.F.H. & Creme-Ramos, Y. 2005. Influence of three bioproducts of organic origin on the production of two banana clones (Musa spp AAB.) obtained by tissue cultures.  Alimentaria 369: 111-116.

Chattopadhyay, A. 2014. Effect of vermiwash and vermicompost on an ornamental flower, Zinnia sp. Journal of Horticulture 1: 112.

Chiluvuru, N., Tartte, V., Kalla, C.M. & Kommalapati, R. 2009. Plant bioassay for assessing the effects of vermicompost on growth and yield of Vigna radiata and Centella asiatica, two important medicinal plants. Journal of Developments in Sustainable Agriculture 4(2): 160-164.

Donald, D.G.M. & Visser, L.B. 1989. Vermicompost as a possible growth medium for the production of commercial forest nursery stock. Applied Plant Science 3(2): 110-113.

El-Shishtawy, R.M. 2009. Functional dyes, and some hi-tech applications.  International Journal of Photoenergy 2009: 434897. doi: 10.1155/2009/434897.

Englert, G., Aakemann, T., Schiedt, K. & Liaaen-Jensen, S. 1995. Structure elucidation of the algal carotenoid (3S, 5R, 6R, 3'S, 5'R, 6'S)-13'-cis-7', 8'-dihydroneoxanthin-20'-al 3'-β-lactoside (P457). Part 2, NMR studies. Journal of Natural Products 58(11): 1675-1682.

Ferrante, A. & Maggiore, T. 2007. Chlorophyll a fluorescence measurements to evaluate storage time and temperature of Valeriana leafy vegetables.  Postharvest Biology and Technology 45(1): 73-80.

Giusti, M.M. & Wrolstad, R.E. 2001. Characterization and measurement of anthocyanins by UV‐visible spectroscopy. In Current Protocols in Food Analytical Chemistry. F1.2.1 - F1.2.13. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Giusti, M.M. & Wallace, T.C. 2009. Flavonoids as natural pigments. In Handbook of Natural Colorants. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. pp. 255-275.

Goodwin, T.W. 1980. Biogeochemistry of carotenoids. In The Biochemistry of the Carotenoids. Dordrecht: Springer. pp. 346-349.

Guzman, I., Yousef, G.G. & Brown, A.F. 2012. Simultaneous extraction and quantitation of carotenoids, chlorophylls, and tocopherols in Brassica vegetables. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 60(29): 7238-7244.

Kashem, M.A., Sarker, A., Hossain, I. & Islam, M.S. 2015. Comparison of the effect of vermicompost and inorganic fertilizers on vegetative growth and fruit production of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Open Journal of Soil Science 5(2): 53.

Kim, S.H. 2006. Functional Dyes. Elsevier Science.

Kong, K.W., Khoo, H.E., Prasad, N.K., Chew, L.Y. & Amin, I. 2013. Total phenolics and antioxidant activities of Pouteria campechiana fruit parts. Sains Malaysiana 42(2): 123-127.

Lazcano, C., Sampedro, L., Zas, R. & Domínguez, J. 2010a. Assessment of plant growth promotion by vermicompost in different progenies of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.). Compost Science & Utilization 18(2): 111-118.

Lazcano, C., Sampedro, L., Zas, R. & Domínguez, J. 2010b. Vermicompost enhances germination of the maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.).  New Forests 39(3): 387-400.

Lichtenthaler, H.K. & Buschmann, C. 2001. Chlorophylls and carotenoids: Measurement and characterization by UV‐VIS spectroscopy. Current Protocols in Food Analytical Chemistry 1(1): F4. 3.1-F4. 3.8.

Ling, A.P.K., Kok, K.M., Hussein, S. & Ong, S.L. 2009. Effects of plant growth regulators on adventitious roots induction from different explants of Orthosiphon stamineus. Am-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 3(3): 493-501.

Matile, P., Schellenberg, M. & Vicentini, F. 1997. Localization of chlorophyllase in the chloroplast envelope. Planta 201(1): 96-99.

Meir, S., Philosoph-Hadas, S., Gloter, P. & Aharoni, N. 1992. Nondestructive assessment of chlorophyll content in watercress leaves by a tristimulus reflectance colorimeter. Postharvest Biology and Technology 2(2): 117-124.

Morais, R.R.D., Gonçalves, J.F.D.C., Santos Júnior, U.M.D., Dünisch, O. & Santos, A.L.W.D. 2007. Chloroplastid pigment contents and chlorophyll a fluorescence in Amazonian tropical three species. Revista árvore 31: 959-966.

Mustroph, H., Stollenwerk, M. & Bressau, V. 2006. Current developments in optical data storage with organic dyes. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 45(13): 2016-2035. doi: 10.1002/anie.200502820

Nasarudin, N.A., Mohamad, J., Ismail, S. & Mispan, M.S. 2018. Effect of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) and bacterial bio-fertilizer on the antioxidant activity and chlorophyll content of aerobic rice. Molecules 23: 55.

Noseworthy, J. & Loy, B. (2008). Improving eating quality and carotenoid content of squash. In Cucurbitaceae. Proceedings of the IXth EUCARPIA Meeting on Genetics and Breeding of Cucurbitaceae, Avignon, France, 21-24 May 2008 (pp. 521-528). Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA).

Purbajanti, Endang Dwi, Widyati Slamet & Eny Fuskhah. 2019. Effects of organic and inorganic fertilizers on growth, activity of nitrate reductase and chlorophyll contents of peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.). IOP Conference Series: Earth And Environmental Science. 250(1): 012048.

Ramasamy, P.K. & Suresh, S.N. 2010. Effect of vermicompost on root numbers and length of sunflower plant (Helianthus annuus L.). Journal of Pure and Applied Microbiology 4(1): 297-302.

Raya, K.B., Ahmad, S.H., Farhana, S.F., Mohammad, M., Tajidin, N.E. & Parvez, A. 2015. Changes in phytochemical contents in different parts of Clinacanthus nutans (Burm. f.) lindau due to storage duration. Bragantia 74(4): 445-452.

Roura, S.I., Davidovich, L.A. & del Valle, C.E. 2000. Postharvest changes in fresh Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris, type cycla) under different storage conditions.  Journal of Food Quality 23(2): 137-147.

Sardoei, A.S., Roien, A., Sadeghi, T., Shahadadi, F. & Mokhtari, T.S. 2014. Effect of vermicompost on the growth and flowering of African Marigold (Tagetes erecta). American-Eurasian Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Science. 10.5829/idosi.aejaes.2014.14.07.12366

Sundararasu, K. & Neelanarayanan, P. 2012. Effect of vermicompost and inorganic fertilizer on the growth and yield of tomato, Lycorpersiumesculentum L. International Journal of Current Research 4(7): 49-51.

Uawonggul, N., Chaveerach, A., Thammasirirak, S., Arkaravichien, T., Chuachan, C., & Daduang, S. 2006. Screening of plants acting against Heterometrus laoticus scorpion venom activity on fibroblast cell lysis. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 103(2): 201-207.

Wolf, F.T. 1956. Changes in chlorophylls a and b in autumn leaves. American Journal of Botany 43(9): 714-718.

Wrolstad, R.E., Hong, V., Boyles, M.J. & Durst, R.W. 1995. Use of anthocyanin pigment analysis for detecting adulteration in fruit juices. Methods to Detect Adulteration in Fruit Juice and Beverages 1: 260-286.

Yang, H.S., Peng, T.W., Madhavan, P., Abdul Shukkoor, M.S. & Akowuah, G.A. 2013. Phytochemical analysis and antibacterial activity of methanolic extract of Clinacanthus nutans leaf. International Journal of Drug Development and Research 5(3): 349-355.

Yusof, Z., Ramasamy, S., Mahmood, N. & Yaacob, J. 2018. Vermicompost supplementation improves the stability of bioactive anthocyanin and phenolic compounds in Clinacanthus nutans Lindau. Molecules 23(6): 1345.

Zainul Amiruddin Zakaria, Mohammad Hafiz Abdul Rahim, Norhafizah Mohtarrudin, Arifah Abdul Kadir, Manraj Singh Cheema, Zuraini Ahmad, Ching Siew Mooi, & Siti Farah Md Tohid. 2016. Acute and sub-chronic oral toxicity studies of methanol extract of Clinacanthus nutans in mice. African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines 13(2): 210-222.

Zucco, M.A., Walters, S.A., Chong, S-K., Klubek, B.P. & Masabni, J.G. 2015. Effect of soil type and vermicompost applications on tomato growth. International Journal of Recycling of Organic Waste in Agriculture 4(2): 135-141.

^*Corresponding author; email: alin@um.edu.my