Biosafety assessment of Ficus carica Leaf in rat; an alternative preservative agent

Abstract

Due to the global disturbance of chemical resurgence in food efforts, Ficus carica leaves had been made to be applied as preservatives to extend the shelf life of perishable foods despite limited information regarding its biosafety. Hence, the need to affirm the safety of this plant in-vivo was studied. Extracts of Ficus carica leaf were mixed with the basal diet of Wistar albino rats and used as feed for one group of Wistar albino rats (treated group) while the second group was fed with sole basal medium to serve as a control. The blood samples of both groups were taken before the rats were subjected to cervical dislocation. Hematological and histological parameters were studied to know the effects of the extracts and in order to justify the usage of plant extracts as preservatives for perishable foods. The hematological parameters of the treated rats were considerably higher than that of the control rats except for the insignificant changes in lymphocytes, basophils and eosinophils. Furthermore, the histological study revealed no sign of lesions in all organs examined from both groups. The adoption of F. carica leaf as preservatives has no contraindication on the organs or blood parameters which thus necessitate that global application should be recommended not only on perishable foods since its resurgence will pose no harm to the consumers.