The dietary fibre and fermentability characteristics of local root crops and legumes were determined. Total, soluble and insoluble fibre were determined in six root crops (kamote, gabi, potato, tugi, ube, cassava) and ten legumes (mungbean, soyabean, peanut, pole sitao, cowpea, chickpea, green pea, lima bean, kidney bean and pigeon pea) using Association of Official Analytical Chemists methods. The dietary fibre from test foods was isolated and fermented in vitro using human faecal inoculum simulating conditions in the human colon. The SCFA, e.g. acetate, propionate, butyrate, produced after fibre fermentation was measured using HPLC. The dietary fibre content of root crops ranged from 4·6 to 13·5 g/100 g while legumes ranged from 20·9 to 46·9 g/100 g, suggesting that root crops and legumes are good sources of dietary fibre. Significant amounts of SCFA were produced after in vitro fermentation of the fibre isolate of both root crops and legumes. The best sources (as mmol/g fibre isolate) of acetate among the legumes were pole sitao (5·6 (SEM 0·5)) and mungbean (5·3 (SEM 0·1)) and among the root crops, tugi (2·5 (SEM 0·4)) and cassava (2·4 (SEM 0·1)); of propionate, kidney bean (7·2 (SEM 1·5)) and pigeon pea (3·3 (SEM 0·2)) for legumes, and tugi (1·8 (SEM 0·2)) for root crops; and of butyrate, peanut (6·0 (SEM 0·2)) and cowpea (5·4 (SEM 0·2)) for legumes, and tugi (0·8 (SEM 0·0)) and cassava (0·8 (SEM 0·0)) for root crops. In conclusion, root crops and legumes are good sources of dietary fibre and produced SCFA after fibre fermentation, such as acetate, propionate and butyrate. SCFA production after in vitro fermentation can be estimated using human faecal inoculum and can be used to model the human colon.

Abstract. Ilagan VAD, Alejandro GJD, Paraguison DJB, Perolina SMW, Mendoza GR, Bolina AB, Raterta R, Vales MB, Suarez GJD, Blasco FA. 2022. Ethnopharmacological documentation and molecular authentication of medicinal plants used by the Manobo and Mamanwa tribes of Surigao del Sur, Philippines. Biodiversitas 23: 3185-3202. Mindanao Island is renowned for its rich biodiversity and various ethnolinguistic groups with diverse histories and cultures. The Mamanwa and Manobo live in close proximity, resulting in merging beliefs and cultural practices. This study aims to assess the various medicinal plants using ethnopharmacological indices, determine their relationship to their users, and molecularly confirm unidentifiable plants used by the tribes. Ethnomedicinal data were gathered from 127 key informants representing both tribes through semi-structured interviews. Family Importance Value (FIV) and Use Value (UV) were quantified and revealed a total of 48 species utilized by both tribes belonging to 26 families and 42 genera. These plants are used in 32 diseases within 10 categories, and the most utilized family belongs to Apocynaceae (FIV= 20% for both tribes). Respiratory illness has the greatest contribution to the utilization of medicinal plants (ICF= 0.92, 42%). The most utilized plant part is the leaves and mainly prepared by decoction and administered orally. Integrative molecular confirmation led to the identification of the 5 morphologically unidentifiable plants to be Elaeocarpus serratus Benth., Uncaria lanosa Wall., Aglaonema crispum (J.R. Pitcher & Manda) Nicolson, Canthium tetraphyllum Baill., and Timonous timon (Spreng.) Merr..