Abstract

Mangifera pajang Konsterman, popularly known as ‘Bambangan’ is a plant endemic to Borneo Island. This seasonal tree produces edible fruit that can be eaten fresh. It is also used in cooking, and in making juice and pickles. The fruit is nutritious and contains various phytochemicals such as phenolics, flavonoids and carotenoids. Recent studies have demonstrated that selected fractions of the fruit extract displayed high antioxidant properties and have the ability to inhibit the proliferation of selected cancer cell lines. However, the efficacy of the plant extracts to treat diseases, their long-term safety and their toxicity evaluation have not been pursued. The main objective of this review is to provide information on the research work undertaken to date, and to provide basic information for future commercialization as functional food and medicine.

Key words: Mangifera pajang, phytochemicals, antioxidant, anticancer, functional food, medicine.