Phytochemical and Nutritional Potential of Tropical Almond Seed and its Antifungal Activity against Candida Albicans

: Introduction: Nuts play an important role in the diet of several people worldwide. They will act as a supplement of nutrients. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the nutritional relevance of Terminalia catappa Linn (tropical almond) grown in the coastal area of Alappuzha and to screen secondary metabolites. The study also assessed the antioxidant activity as well as the antifungal activity of methanol extracted seed against Candida albicans. Method: For the nutritional analysis, the powdered sample was tested for its nutritional value by standard protocol. Phytochemical screening was done on methanol extract of tropical almond and the antioxidant activity was detected by DPPH radical scavenging assay and antifungal activity was detected by determining the zone of inhibition on plate method. Results: The results showed that tropical almond contained a remarkable amount of macronutrients and also vitamins. A wide variety of phytochemical was also detected in methanol extract of tropical almond. The methanol extract of seed showed remarkable inhibition of the fungal growth against tested fungal species. Considering the antioxidant activity of the seed, it was well noted that when the concentration of the sample increased the antioxidant activity also shows an upward trend. Conclusion: Tropical almond is shown to be an important source of nutrients and secondary metabolites. The antioxidant activity and antifungal activity was also detected in the tropical almond seed. Hence, this seed can be used to discover bioactive natural products that may help as a lead in the development of new pharmaceutical application mainly for antifungal drug and cream based formulation against antibiotic resistant fungal strains. the collected in the field of the area of Alappuzha district, lies in the coastal lowland division of Kerala. The city between 9.50° North Latitude and 76.33° East Longitude. The washed with and The proximate nutrients analysis shows that Terminalia catappa L had a rich source of nutrients. Important macronutrients like carbohydrate and protein and fat are present in these seeds in adequate quantity. Minerals are very important in the diet because they act as cofactors for various metabolic functions. Among the nutrients analyzed, the protein was detected in high amount (20.86%) followed by carbohydrate (16.2%) and fat (14.5%). Carbohydrate is considered as an important provision of energy and according to FAO (1997), at least 55% of total energy must be obtained from carbohydrate. Diet with high carbohydrate content may help to reduce obesity by preventing overconsumption of energy. Calcium is an important mineral for bone formation and neurological functions and this mineral was found to be present in significant level in methanol extract of tropical almond. The proximate analysis also shows that important vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin C and folic acid (vitamin B9) were also present in high concentrations in the tropical almond seeds. Among them, vitamin A was detected in the highest amount which was 6.40 mg/g followed by vitamin C and folic acid, 0.832 mg/g and 0.82s mg/g respectively. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is currently a major problem in developing countries.