Effects of enzymatic pretreatment on phytochemical content, antioxidant, and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities of Solanum lasiocarpum Dunal (terung asam) fruits

Binhar, Andi Muhammad Nurfalahuddin; Benjamin, Mohammad Amil Zulhilmi; Rushdy, Muhammad Naufal Qaweim; Saini, Aniza; Mudin, Hasdian; Ramaiya, Shiamala Devi; Hasham, Rosnani; AWANG, MOHD AZRIE

doi:10.22104/ift.2026.8118.2267

Effects of enzymatic pretreatment on phytochemical content, antioxidant, and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities of Solanum lasiocarpum Dunal (terung asam) fruits

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

¹ Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia

² Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia

³ Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia Sarawak, Bintulu 97008, Malaysia

⁴ Institute of Bioproduct Development, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai 81310, Johor, Malaysia

⁵ Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

10.22104/ift.2026.8118.2267

Abstract

Solanum lasiocarpum Dunal, locally known as terung asam, is an underutilised tropical fruit with recognised nutritional and bioactive potential, yet its effective utilisation is constrained by limited extraction efficiency arising from complex plant matrices. This study evaluated enzyme-assisted ultrasound extraction of S. lasiocarpum fruit extract (SLFE) to enhance crude yield (CY), phytochemical content, and bioactivity, with specific focus on antioxidant and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities. Enzymatic pretreatment using pectinase, cellulase, and protease was applied prior to ultrasound-assisted extraction. CY, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant activities assessed by DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays, and pancreatic lipase inhibition based on IC₅₀ values were determined. Pectinase pretreatment produced the highest CY and TFC and consistently enhanced radical scavenging and reducing antioxidant activities. In addition, pectinase-pretreated SLFE exhibited the strongest pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity, followed by protease, while cellulase showed the weakest inhibition. Cellulase pretreatment resulted in the highest TPC but demonstrated limited effectiveness in lipase inhibition. Overall, enzyme specificity strongly influenced extraction efficiency and bioactivity, with pectinase favouring CY, flavonoid recovery, antioxidant capacity, and anti-lipase activity. These findings demonstrate that enzyme-assisted ultrasound extraction is an effective strategy for optimising functional compound recovery from S. lasiocarpum, supporting its potential application in functional food and nutraceutical development.

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