Government College University Faisalabad

Department of Home and Food Sciences

Food Technology Undergraduate Programme

RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSAL

Name: Irsa Shaheen

Date of Admission: October 14, 2017

Title of The Project:

Phytochemical Analysis on Moringa

oleifera and Azadirachata indica leaves

Need for The Project:

Moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica leaves have a lot
of economic importance such as medicinal, nutritional and pesticidal
values. These claims have not been clearly justified. This research
proposal and the experiments which are to be performed are for
investigating, analyzing and justifying the values of these
plants(leave). Phytochemicals analysis will be used to justify the
claimed values of these plants(leaves).
Phytochemicals are non-nutritive plants chemicals which occur
naturally in plants. They have protective or disease preventive
properties. They are nonessential nutrients and are not required by
body. But research claimed they protect human against diseases.
Some of phytochemicals are lycopene, isoflavonesin and flavonoids.
Phytochemicals act as an antioxidant agent and protect our cells
against oxidative damage and reduce the risk of cancer. They have
hormonal action. They reduce osteoporosis and the risk of breast
cancer. They have physical action and they bind cells to the wall, in
this way they prevent attack of pathogens to human cell walls.
Moringa oleifera is responsible for curing malaria, reducing high
blood pressure and reduces blood sugar. Azadirachataindica cure
fever ,malaria ,bacteria and fungi diseases.

Project Objectives:

Phytochemical analysis on Moringa oleifera and

Azadiractaindica will identify, isolate and quantify phytochemicals
present in these plants. This analysis will justify the activity of
compounds like antioxidants and certain enzymes present in these
plants.
To describe clearly the extraction process on these plants.
To justify the claims made on these plants for its medicinal and
economic values.
To detect the phytochemical present in Moringa oleifera and
Azadiractaindica plants(leaves).
Background of the Research:
Since the beginning, man depended on plants as
medicine. The plant kingdom represent a rich storehouse of organic
compounds, many of which have been used for medicinal purposes
and could serve as lead for the development of novel agents having
good efficacy in various pathological disorders in the coming years.
Plants are the richest source of drugs for traditional medicine, modern
medicines, nutraceuticals food supplements, folk medicine,
pharmaceutical intermediates and chemical entities for synthetic drugs
(Hammer et al., 1999).
Moringa Oleifera, or the horseradish tree, is a small or medium-sized
about 10 m high perennial softwood tree with timber of low quality
pantropical specie plant that is known by such regional name as
benzolive, drumstick tree, kelor, marango, mlonge, mulangay,
nebedaye, saikhan and sajan. Over the past two decades, many reports
have appeared in the mainstream scientific journals describing its
nutritional and medicinal properties (Akerele, 1993). Moringa
Oleifera is the most widely cultivated species of a monogeneric
family, the moringaceae that is native to the sub-Himalayan tracts of
India, Pakistan Bangladesh and Afghanistan, it also now naturalizes in
West Africa and Nigeria as a whole.
Azadirachta Indica on the other hand is a very useful traditional
medicinal plant in the sub-continent and each part of the tree has some
medicinal properties. The plant is native to Asia, but has now
naturalized in West Africa and is widely cultivated in Nigeria as an
ornamental as well as medicinal plant.

Methodology:
Solvent extraction, qualitative phytochemical analysis, antibacterial
activit ,antioxidant activity, enzymic activity test check will be used.
Certain test like sugar test, detection test for saponins ,flavonoids and
phenolic compound will be used. Detection of alkaloids,detection of
tannis and estimation of sterols with be usesd.
Soxhlet apparatus like equipments will be used.First of all plants
leaves with be collected and their extract will be prepared .
And then these leaves will be test for further detection of compundts
present in it.

Hypothesis:
The experiment which are be performed may be
successful or not for detecting important compounds present in these
plants leaves. They may be authentic or not.

Expected Outcomes:

The research can help to find out if M. oleifera leaves

possesses phytochemicals, such as Alkaloids,Triterpenoids,
Flavonoids, Tannins, Saponins, Glycosides and Carbohydrates etc.,
which are of high therapeutic value. The results of experiments will
help to ensure if M. oleifera and Azadiractaindica leaves are rich in
phenolic compounds, flavonoids and Vitamin C which have strong
antioxidant activity.The study will suggest that the presence of
phytochemical in Moringa oleifera leaves acts as a good source of
nutrient which can be used as a food and it also has potent medicinal
property to improve the health status in humans by consuming it.
Further, synthesis of the active principle can lead to
development of promising drugs in treating.

References:
Azacharja, D.F., Deepak and Shrivastava A. (2008).Indigenous Herbal
Medicine.
Anwar, F. and Rashid, U.(2007). Physicochemical characteristics of Moringa
Oleifera Seeds and seed oil from a wild provenance of Pakistan.
Ngaski, M.M. 2006. Phytochemical screening and proximate analysis of
Moringa Oleifera Leaves. M.Sc Thesis.Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto,
Nigeria.
Kirtikar, K. R. and Basu. (1975) B. D, in medicine Plant.
Kilgour, O.F.G. (1987). Mastering Nutrition. MacMillan Education Ltd,
London.
Mabberley D.J. 1997:The Plant book. Bailliere Tindall, London.