Phytochemical and Antioxidant Properties from Different Parts of Salacia chinensis L.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare phytochemical and antioxidant properties of different parts of Salacia chinensis L. The root of S. chinensis had the highest content of phenolics, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins and saponins (64.4 mg gallic acid equivalent /g dried weight (DW), 106 mg catechin equivalent (CE)/g DW, 43.5 mg CE/g DW and 799.9 mg escin equivalent /g DW, respectively), followed by the stem and leaf. Similarly, results from the four antioxidant assays (ABTS, DPPH, FRAP and CUPRAC) showed that the root of S. chinensis had the highest antioxidant capacity (632.2, 577.1, 443.3 and 365.0 μM trolox equivalent/g DW, respectively), followed by the stem while the leaf had the lowest antioxidant capacity. From HPLC chromatograms, three major compounds were detected from the root and stem of S. chinensis, while more major individual compounds in lower quantities were seen in the leaf. As the root contained high phytochemical and antioxidant properties, future studies are recommended to isolate and identify the major bioactive compounds from the root for further industrial utilization.

Key words:

• Antioxidant property
• bioactive compound
• Salacia chinensis L