Review Of Related Literature And Studies On Kapas Kapas Plant As A Sugar Alternative
Sugar alternatives are food additives that are categorize into 2 specifically natural and synthetic /artificial sweeteners. The natural sweetener is commonly made from saps syrups and nectars found in the nature. some of the natural high potency sweeteners comes from stevia Lo han thaumatin brazzein monatin etc. Kapas Kapas (Telosma Precumbens Merr. ) is an indigenous (traditional) plant that belongs Apocynaceae plant family. Apocynaceae or in layman’s term dogbane family that includes 415 genera and have 4, 600 species of woody vines, herbs, trees and shrubs that is abundant in tropical and subtropical places or areas in the world. Kapas Kapas other local name are ampupuyat, pusa-pusa, padpadol, bagbagkong, ampupuyat, other common names of the plant are dugep, dukep (Ilok. ); kapuk-kapuk (Sul. ), laknit (Bag. ), latok (Tag. ) and is locally grown in Ilocos Norte but is cultivated in the province of Tarlac, along with Kapas Kapas are the other popular species of indigenous plants that is also underutilized, M. cochinchinensis (sugod-sugod), D. luzonensis (kamangeg), B. luzonica (allukon), M. charantia (parya-atap), D. hispida (karot), C. frutescens (sili’t sairo), D. esculentum (pakpako), Schismatoglottis (bilagot), and D. esculenta ssp. pinosa (buga).
Other places that cultivate this plant are the places like Sorsogon, Mindoro, Cuyo, Biliran, Leyte, Negros, Mindanao and Basilan and internationally it can be found in countries like Vietnam, Thailand, and China. The flowers of Kapas Kapas can be seen open during the summer and its fruits are produce seasonally and are abundant in the months of August to December. For Ilocanos and Tagbanuas only use Kapas Kapas as an ingredient in dishes like dinengdeng, inflorescence in salads. In folk medicines, the decoction of its leaves is used for cleansing and treatment of wounds, scabies. It is also applied in the forehead for headaches. The underutilized plant was presented at IFEX 2017, Agribusiness Research and Development Track as one of the indigenous vegetables in the Philippines that has potential production and be introduced in the market like other common vegetables. And in Vietnam, a sweet pregnane glycoside with 1000 times sweeter than sucrose was collected.
The result of the proximate analysis of the immature fruits revealed the following: 89. 57% moisture, 0. 62% fats, 0. 73% protein, 0. 59% ash, 1. 30% fiber and 170 mgGAE/100g total phenol. Since Kapas Kapas is an underutilized plant, there is no adequate related literature and studies that are available for the time being. Related Studies A study conducted at Bicol University by Ms. Lilibeth A. Cajuday together with Ms. Edna A. Amparado entitled “Hypoglycemic property of Telosma precumbens (Blanco) Merr”. The study’s aim is to show the hypoglycemic property of Kapas Kapas (Telosma Precumbens Merr. ). Further studies were needed to test to understand and prove the mechanism of the hypoglycemic action the said plant has.
In a study “Antimicrobial Activity and Phytochemical Screening of Selected Indigenous Food Plants from Isabela, Philippines” conducted by Ms. Oliva C. Ruma. From a selection of five indigenous food plants which one is Telosma Precumbens Merr. Or Kapas Kapas is selected and screened for antibacterial activity and use for extraction of crude ethanolic took place. The result of the study suggested that the five plants can be serve as a potential source of bioactive healthy compounds in the diet. But also further research is needed to be conducted to have elaborate result about the antimicrobial property of the plants.
