Geographical and Environmental Variation in Chemical Constituents and Antioxidant Properties in Roscoea procera Wall

Roscoea procera is an important Himalayan medicinal plant known for its food and medicinal potential due to antioxidant activity. Among its wild populations, total phenolic and flavonoid content in the rhizomes varied significantly (P<0.05). RP-HPLC analysis of phenolic compounds revealed high variation (P<0.05) among populations in gallic acid, catechin and p-coumaric acid content. Antioxidant activities determined by different in vitro assays, (ABTS, DPH and FRAP assays) showed the antioxidant potential of the species. Data on different forest types revealed that populations under open grassy land possess higher level of antioxidants. High level of phenolic antioxidant in certain populations identified by neighbor joining clustering and equal class distribution analysis indicated some potential populations as a source for natural antioxidant and variability among populations can be further used for selection of elite for future breeding programmes. Practical ApplicationsRoscoea procera Wall is a medicinally important Himalayan herbs found in an altitudinal range of 1800-3000 m asl in different habitats conditions. The rhizomes of the species are directly collected from wild for many traditional medicines and edible food products due to its antioxidant properties. In the present study, antioxidant properties (ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activity and ferric-reducing antioxidant potential), phenolic content and composition of dried rhizomes were analysed, which may provide possible role of the species against health benefits and suggest future applications in functional foods development. In addition, the variation in antioxidant properties, phenolic content and other phytochemical composition in different populations and environmental conditions may provide baseline data for future breeding programmes for variety improvement and suitable conditions for cultivation.