Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences Vol 19 No 3 (2015): 611 – 624

 

 

 

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PHENOLIC CONTENT AND ANTIOXIDATIVE ACTIVITIES OF EIGHT MALAYSIAN

TRADITIONAL VEGETABLES

 

(Analisis Perbandingan Kandungan Fenolik dan Aktiviti Antipengoksida Lapan Sayuran Tradisional di Malaysia)

 

Nur Huda-Faujan¹*, Zulaikha Abdul Rahim¹, Maryam Mohamed Rehan¹, Faujan Bin Haji Ahmad²

 

¹Food Biotechnology Program, Faculty of Science and Technology,

Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Bandar Baru Nilai, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

²School of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Sciences,

Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author: nurhuda@usim.edu.my

 

 

Received: 12 April 2015; Accepted: 27 May 2015

 

 

Abstract

Vegetables have been believed to exhibit antioxidant activities due to its phenolic content.  Thus, this study was carried out to determine the total phenolic content of water and ethanolic extracts of Malaysian traditional vegetables and assess their antioxidant activities.  Eight samples of Malaysian traditional vegetables were dried and extracted its phenolic compounds using water and ethanolic solvent.  Total phenolic content of the extracts were compared and evaluated using Folin-Ciocalteu and Prussian Blue reagent.  The antioxidant activity were assessed using ferric thiocyanate assay and DPPH free radical scavenging assays.  Results found that total phenolic content of water extracts ranged from 7.08 to 14.76 mg GAE (Folin-Ciocalteu assay) and 3.50 to 7.82 mg GAE (Prussian Blue assay).  However, the content of phenolic of ethanolic extracts ranged from 5.21 to 15.86 mg GAE (Folin-Ciocalteu assay), and 1.84 to 11.54 mg GAE (Prussian Blue assay).  The highest antioxidant activity was observed in water extracts of Etlingera elatior (75.6%) and ethanolic extracts of Sauropus androgynus (78.1%).  Results also found that the best half maximal inhibitory concentration or IC₅₀ were demonstrated by water and ethanolic extracts of Sauropus androgynus which demonstrated 0.077 mg/mL and 0.078 mg/mL, respectively. Hence, this study obtained that most of the Malaysian traditional vegetables have a potential source of natural antioxidant.

 

Keywords: Folin-Ciocalteu method, Prussian Blue assay, antioxidant activities, Malaysian vegetables

 

Abstrak

Sayuran dipercayai boleh mempamerkan aktiviti antipengoksida disebabkan oleh kandungan fenoliknya. Oleh itu, kajian ini telah dijalankan untuk menentukan jumlah kandungan fenolik dalam sayuran tradisional Malaysia serta menilai aktiviti antipengoksidanya.  Lapan jenis sayuran tradisional Malaysia telah dikeringkan dan diekstrak sebatian fenoliknya dengan menggunakan air dan pelarut etanol.  Kandungan fenolik daripada ekstrak sampel telah dibandingkan dan dinilai menggunakan kaedah Folin-Ciocalteu dan reagen Prussian Biru.  Aktiviti antipengoksida telah dinilai menggunakan asai ferik tiosianat dan asai pemerangkapan radikal bebas DPPH.  Keputusan kajian telah menunjukkan bahawa jumlah kandungan fenolik ekstrak air adalah dari 7.08 ke 14.76 mg GAE (asai Folin-Ciocalteu) dan, dari 3.50 ke 7.82 mg GAE (asai Prussian Biru). Walau bagaimanapun, kandungan fenolik ekstrak etanol bernilai dari 5.21 ke 15.86 mg GAE (asai Folin-Ciocalteu) dan 1.84 ke 11.54 mg GAE (asai Prussian Biru). Aktiviti antipengoksida tertinggi telah diperhatikan pada ekstrak air Etlingera elatior (75.6%) dan ekstrak etanol Sauropus androgynus (78.1%).  Keputusan kajian juga telah mendapati bahawa separuh perencatan maksimum atau IC₅₀ yang terbaik telah dipamerkan oleh ekstrak air dan etanol Sauropus androgynus dengan nilai 0.077 mg/mL dan 0.078 mg/mL, masing-masing.  Oleh itu, kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa kebanyakan sayuran tradisional Malaysia berpotensi sebagai sumber bahan antipengoksida semula jadi.

 

Kata kunci: Kaedah Folin-Ciocalteu; Asai Prussian Biru; aktiviti antipengoksida; sayuran Malaysia

 

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