Beyond the flavor: A green formulation of Ferula asafoetida oleo-gum-resin with fenugreek dietary fibre and its gut health potential

• Published in: Toxicology reports 2017-01, Vol.4, p.382-390
• Main Authors: Vijayasteltar, Liju, Jismy, I J, Joseph, Ashil, Maliakel, Balu, Kuttan, Ramadasan, I M, Krishnakumar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Full Length
• ISSN: 2214-7500; 2214-7500
• DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2017.06.012

Albeit the fact that asafotida is a popular kitchen spice and Indian folklore medicine for gut disorders, its consumption at physiologically relevant dosage is greatly challenged by the unpleasant flavor characteristics. Herein we report a green approach to derive stable powder formulations of asafoetida gum with minimized taste and odor suitable for dietary applications and gut health-related disorders. Employing a water based ultrasound mediated gel-phase dispersion of asafoetida gum on fenugreek derived soluble galactomannan fibre matrix. Microencapsulated particles (1 ± 0.3 μm) of asafoetida was prepared as water dispersible free flowing powder (Asafin). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), accelerated stability and dissolution studies confirmed the stability, sustained release and microencapsulated structure of Asafin. Further investigations revealed significant (  0.01) reduction in acetic acid-induced writings and inhibition of ethanol-induced ulcer (94.1%) in rats orally administered with Asafin at 250 mg kg b.w. Asafin also exhibited anti-inflammatory effects (  0.01), in acute and chronic paw edema mice models. The safety of Asafin was further demonstrated by acute toxicity studies at 4 g kg  b.w. and by 28 days of sub-acute toxicity studies at 2.0 g kg  b.w.