Total Phenolic, Total Flavonoid Contents, and Antioxidant Activity of Fruit Zizyphus Lotus Extract

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate, by a chemical method, screen various solvent extracts of the fruit Zizyphus lotus to display potent antioxidant activity, and total phenolic and flavonoid contents to find possible sources for future novel antioxidants in food and pharmaceutical formulations.

  The method used to measure the antioxidant activity was free radical scavenging by using DPPH (1-1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl). The content of total phenols was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, whereas the Aluminum chloride colorimetric method was used for flavonoid determination.

   Flavonoids and phenol contents varied according to the nature of the extract. The total phenolic contents, highest total phenolic content was recorded with Ethyl acetate extract (28.147 ± 0.649 mg GAE/g extract), whereas Butanol extract (8.630 ± 0.491 mg GAE/g extract) contained the lowest content of phenols. The highest total flavonoid content was found in Butanol extract (1.611 ± 0.138 mg QE/g extract). Meanwhile, the Ethyl acetate extract (1.302 ± 0.268 mg QE/g extract).

The Ethyl acetate extract showed the highest antioxidant capacity 0.331 mg/ml. the Butanol extract had the lowest antioxidant capacity 0.737 mg/ml.

These fruit Zizyphus lotus showed significant antioxidant activity, and flavonoid and phenolic contents, this may justify the use of Zizyphus lotus in traditional medicine. the result of that is the need to use the anti-oxidant of this plant as a rich source of antioxidants in food and pharmaceutical.