This study aimed to determine total phenolic content (TPC), total antioxidant activity (TAA), antioxidant vitamin composition (A, C, and E) of pomegranate fruit. In addition, two edible parts of pomegranate juice, pomegranate seed, and combination of them were compared based on antioxidant properties. TPC was determined by using Folin-Ciocalteu (FC) method based on colorimetric reduction. Ferric reduction ability power (FRAP assay) was used to test the antioxidant activity. Vitamin assessments were conducted by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results for antioxidant vitamin composition in pomegranate juice (PJ) showed that the concentration of vitamin A was 22.8 ± 0.69 μg/100 g, vitamin C was 57.8 ± 0.59 mg/100 g, and vitamin E was 0.07 ± 0.01 mg/100 g. Besides, TPC in PJ, pomegranate seed (PS), and pomegranate seed-juice (PSJ) was 2502 ± 54, 165 ± 49, and 2696 ± 49 mg GAE/L, and TAA was 32 ± 5.1, 20 ± 2.8, and 47 ± 5.5 mmol/L respectively. This study revealed that PSJ contained high level of phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and vitamin C. In addition, TPC was as main contributor to antioxidant activities, and positively correlated with TAA (r2 = 0.91, p
The aim of this study is to determine the total phenolic content and primary antioxidant activity of methanolic and ethanolic extracts of four aromatic plants’ leaves namely knotweed (Polygonum minus), curry (Murraya koenigii), kaffir lime (Citrus hysrix) and fragrant screwpine (Pandanus odurus). Total phenolic content (TPC) assay using Folin-Ciocalteu method was used to assess the presence and level of phenolic compounds in each sample. The present study showed that both methanolic and ethanolic extracts of P. minus had the highest TPC and followed by M. koenigii, C. hystrix and P. odorus. Primary antioxidant activity in terms of free radical scavenging activities of both methanolic and ethanolic extracts was then measured by 2, 2, diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity assay. The lowest EC50 values based on the DPPH. radical scavenging activity were shown by P. minus extracts as compared to the other samples. For both ethanolic and methanolic extracts, the correlations between TPC and EC50 based on the DPPH. radical scavenging activity assay were negative and weak. Relatively, the present results suggest that of the four aromaticplants, P. minus and M. koenigii have shown potential as sources of natural antioxidants.
This study evaluated and compared the antioxidant capacity between freshly prepared and lactic fermented Malaysian herbal teas. Herbal teas are rich in antioxidants. Fermentation has been known to be the oldest and cost effective method with the ability to preserve or improve food nutritional qualities. Information on the antioxidant capacity of lactic fermented food or beverage is still lacking. Hence, the objective of this study is to determine the changes in the antioxidant properties of Malaysian herbal teas after being subjected to lactic fermentation. Commercially available local herbal teas were used for this study. Herbal teas such as “Allspice”, “Scaphium”, “Gora” and “Cinnamon” were purchased from the local store in Malaysia and were subjected to 24-hour lactic fermentation. Lactic fermented herbal teas were analyzed for their total phenolic, total flavonoid and antioxidant properties via DPPH, FRAP, and β-carotene linoleate bleaching assay. All lactic fermented herbal teas exhibited higher phenolic contents, flavonoid contents and antioxidant properties compared to the freshly-prepared herbal teas with majority showing significant changes (p < 0.05) in FRAP and β-carotene bleaching assay. Lactic fermented herbal teas also showed an increase in antioxidant capacity in DPPH assay, however non-significant changes were observed.
The present work sought to investigate the nutritional composition and phytochemical properties of red pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) juices from Malaysia and Australia and to determine the optimum ethanol concentration (in the range of 0 – 100% ethanol) for the extraction of phenolic, flavonoid and betacyanin contents. The predominant macronutrient in red pitaya juice was carbohydrate while potassium and vitamin A were the major mineral and vitamin content. Red pitaya juice from Malaysia achieved optimal total phenolic content at 20% of ethanol (20 mL ethanol in 100 mL water, v/v); total flavonoid content at 60% (v/v); and betacyanin content at 0% (v/v). Red pitaya juice from Australia achieved the maximum total phenolic content at 60% (v/v); total flavonoid content at 20% (v/v); and betacyanin content at 80% (v/v). Nutritional composition and the phytochemical properties of red pitaya in Malaysia and Australia were significantly different suggested the role of environmental factors like soil and climate on the phytochemical properties of red pitaya.
This study was undertaken to evaluate the potential of fruit waste materials as source of natural antioxidant. The fruit peels including mango, guava and papaya peel were used in this study. The total phenolic content (TPC) was determined by Folin-Ciocalteu assay while antioxidant activities were determined by using ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging, ferric thiocynate (FTC) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) assays. These antioxidant activities were compared to synthetic antioxidants, BHA/BHT combination and ascorbic acid. The results demonstrated that TPC ranged from 3.23 to 15.84 g GAE/100 g extract. Mango peels extract exhibited highest TPC compared to guava peel and papaya peel extract. In the FRAP assay, mango peel extract at 200 ppm, guava peel extract at 400 ppm and papaya peel extract at 1200 ppm, exhibited reducing power comparable to the permissible amount of BHA/BHT at 200 ppm. At concentration of 250 μg/ml, the DPPH radical scavenging activity of extracts and standards decreased significantly in the order of mango peel extract > guava peel extract > BHA/BHT > ascorbic acid > papaya peel extract. For the FTC assay, the antioxidant activity of mango peel extract was significantly higher than ascorbic acid, guava peel and papaya peel extract but lower than BHA/BHT while in the TBA assay, percentage inhibition of BHA/BHT and ascorbic acid were found to be higher than fruit peel extracts. The quantitative analysis for flavonoids showed the presence of catechin, epicatechin and kaempferol in the peel extracts.
Bioactive compounds from Quercus Infectoria (manjakani) were extracted with six different types of solvents: 100% methanol, ethanol, acetone, aqueous and 70% methanol and ethanol. High Performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to identify and quantify the active compounds, namely gallic acid and tannic acid. Total phenolics content were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu while antioxidant and antibacterial activity were tested using DPPH free radicals scavenging and disc diffusion assay. The result revealed that aqueous extract contained the highest concentration of bioactive compounds compared to other types of solvents which are 51.14 mg/g sample and 1332.88 mg/g sample of gallic acid and tannic acid respectively.. The highest level of phenolic compound was found in 100% acetone extract (121 mg GAE/g). The results demonstrated that aqueous extract gives the highest antioxidant activity approximately 94.55% while acetone extract gives the largest inhibition zone for disc diffusion assay which is 19.00 mm respectively. The results revealed rich sources of gallic acid and tannic acid in Q. infectoria which might provide a novel source of these natural antioxidant and antibacterial activity.
Polyphenol is a non-nutrient phytochemical compound existed abundantly in plant-based diet which has the properties to prevent age related oxidative damage induced diseases. However, there are difficulties in quantifying its intake and local food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for the assessment is not available. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate FFQ for estimation of dietary polyphenol intake among 93 individuals aged 60 years and above recruited from several senior citizen clubs in Klang Valley. Phase I of the study involved the development of FFQ consisted of 117 items under 9 categories and formation of the database extracted from PHENOL-EXPLORER. In Phase II, the intake of polyphenol estimated using FFQ was compared with reference method consisted of 2-day diet records and diet history questionnaire (DHQ). The mean dietary polyphenol intake estimated from FFQ and the reference method was 2770.7 ± 1552.4 mg/d and 2171.4 ± 898.8 mg/d, respectively. Spearman’s rho and Kendall’s tau-b analysis indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between polyphenol intake estimated from FFQ and reference method (r = 0.41, p < 0.001; r = 0.28, p < 0.001). For Bland-Altman plot, 95.7% of scattered plot fell within ± 1.96 SD limits of agreement revealed that there was good agreement between the two methods used. Cross-classifi cation analysis showed that 36.6% was categorized in the same quartile, 78.5% in identical and contiguous quartiles, with only 3.2% in the opposite quartiles. Regression analysis showed that all categories in FFQ signifi cantly account for the inter-variance for dietary polyphenol intake after controlling for the other variables (R2 = 1.000, p < 0.001). In conclusion, the newly developed FFQ is considered valid and has the potential to be used as a tool to estimate polyphenol intake among elderly individuals in Malaysia.
Oil palm or Elaeis guineens is a rich natural source of phenolic with flavonoid as the main constituents. These phenolics are potent antioxidants that can be used in the food industry, cosmetics and others. Therefore, the study was aimed to determine the effect of solvents which were methanol, ethyl acetate and hexane also different plant parts which were leaves, frond and fresh fruit bunch toward antioxidant activity (AOA), total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid
content (TFC). The antioxidant was analysed using the DPPH method, TPC by Ciocalteu assay and TFC by aluminium chloride colorimetric assay. The result from ANOVA indicated that there was a difference (P < 0.05) in the extracting ability of each solvent and different plant parts for AOA, TPC and TFC. Generally, the result suggested that methanol give the highest antioxidant
activity, TPC and TFC compared to ethyl acetate and hexane. Therefore, the solvent used should be selected properly to allow for a high level of extraction efficiency.
Introduction: There are numerous studies on the therapeutic properties of Artocarpus heterophyllus. However, stud- ies on the aqueous extraction of A. heterophyllus leaves are limited. This present study was conducted to optimize the extraction conditions of A. heterophyllus leaves to yield the highest phenolic, flavonoids and antioxidant contents. Methods: Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to obtain a higher phenolic extraction parameter(s) of A. heterophyllus leaves using Central Composite Design (CCD). The antioxidant activity was then determined via ABTS (2,29-azinobis (3 ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) and DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay and analysis of the individual phenolics was performed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: The optimum extraction conditions with higher phenolics content and antioxidant activity was achieved at 81°C, 100 min and 40 mL/g sample with a good desirability value of 0.87. Under these optimized parameters, total phenolics and flavonoids were 174.48 ± 4.05 mg GAE/g sample and 21.44 ± 0.05 mg RE/g sample, respectively. Meanwhile, antioxidant activity via ABTS and DPPH assays were 90.88% ± 0.09 and 87.22% ± 0.62, respectively. Finally, under optimal extraction conditions revealed 4 compounds identified as chlorogenic acid, quercetin, rutin and kaempferol. Conclusion: The optimisation are promising to improve phenolic yield and antioxidant activity in A. heterophyllus leaves. It also proved that A. heterophyllus leaves can be used as an alternative natural antioxidant especially in medicinal applications since all identified compound possess significant biological activities for human health.
The present work investigated the impact of several juice extraction methods (blender,
centrifugal juicer, and slow juicer) and thermal pasteurisation (72°C, 15 s) on the different
properties [physicochemical, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, and functional] of
Clinacanthus nutans juice mix during storage (28 d, 4°C). Regardless of juicing technique, all
juices had similar colour and antioxidants [tested using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl
(DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods]. The juices also had similar
PPO activity and sensory acceptance in terms of colour, aroma, flavour, mouthfeel, and
overall acceptability. The blender yielded juice with higher pH, soluble solids, and relative
viscosity than other methods. The slow juicer was the best at retaining ascorbic acid (39.33 ±
3.06 mg/100 mL), while the blender was best at retaining phenolic compounds (11.82 ± 0.12
mg gallic acid equivalents/100 mL) and chlorophyll (6.95 ± 0.31 μg/mL). Pasteurisation
negatively affected the colour, functional properties, and sensory characteristics (colour,
aroma, flavour, and mouthfeel) of the juice.
The optimum combination of Baccaurea angulata fruit juice (X1: 15 - 85 ratio) and Trigona sp. honey (TH) (X2: 15 - 85 ratio) in developing a high antioxidant soft jelly was investigated based
on the antioxidant capacity (Y1), phenolic (Y2), and flavonoid (Y3) content. Response surface
methodology (RSM), via central composite design (CCD), was used to produce optimal combination effects of the two independent variables (B. angulata fruit juice and TH) for highest
recovery of antioxidant capacity (AC), total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content
(TFC). The polynomial models generated were satisfactory. The lack-of-fit test were higher
than p > 0.05 for all three analyses, signifying the suitability of the models in accurately predicting the variations. Predicted values of the analysis agreed with those of the experimental values.
An optimum combination of B. angulata fruit juice and TH was developed (ratio 40:40). The
sample also exhibited significant FRAP and DPPH radical scavenging activities. Several
polyphenols were identified for the samples through UHPLC-MS/MS. In conclusion, B. angulata and Trigona sp. honey have high potentials to be used in fortifying the soft jelly samples,
making them prospective food supplements due to their nutritional and health benefits.
Vibriosis is a prevalent aquatic disease caused by Vibrio species and has led to massive loss of brown-marbled grouper, Epinephelus fuscoguttatus. The complexity of molecular mechanisms associated with immune defence can be studied through transcriptomics analysis. High quality and quantity of total RNAs are crucial for the veracity of RNA sequencing and gene expression analysis. A low quality RNA will compromise downstream analysis, resulting in loss of time and revenue to re-acquire the data again. Thus, a reliable and an efficient RNA isolation method is the first and most important step to obtain high quality RNA for gene expression studies. There are many aspects need to be considered when deciding an extraction method, such as the cost-effectiveness of the protocol, the duration of chemical exposure, the duration required for a complete extraction and the number of sample-transferring. A good RNA extraction protocol must be able to produce high yield and purity of RNA free from enzyme inhibitors, such as nucleases (RNase), phenols, alcohols or other chemicals carryover, apart from protein and genomic DNA contamination, to maintain isolated RNA integrity in storage condition. In this study, TransZolTM Up produced clean and pure RNA samples from control gills only but not from the infected gill and whole-body tissues. Modified conventional CTAB (conventional hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide) method was then used as an alternative method to isolate RNA from gill and whole-body tissues of Vibrio-infected E. fuscoguttatus. Modified CTAB method produced intact RNA on gel electrophoresis with higher RIN number (>6.5) for infected gill and whole-body tissues, suggesting that this method could also be used to isolate high quality RNA from fish samples. Therefore, this method is potentially suitable to be used to extract RNA from other fish species especially those that have been infected.
Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages worldwide after water, and green tea accounts for 20% of the total tea consumption. The health benefits of green tea are attributed to its natural antioxidants, namely, catechins, which are phenolic compounds with diverse beneficial effects on human health. The beneficial effects of green tea and its major bioactive component, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), on health include high antioxidative, osteoprotective, neuroprotective, anti-cancer, anti-hyperlipidemia and anti-diabetic effects. However, the review of green tea's benefits on female reproductive disorders, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis and dysmenorrhea, remains scarce. Thus, this review summarises current knowledge on the beneficial effects of green tea catechins on selected female reproductive disorders. Green tea or its derivative, EGCG, improves endometriosis mainly through anti-angiogenic, anti-fibrotic, anti-proliferative and proapoptotic mechanisms. Moreover, green tea enhances ovulation and reduces cyst formation in PCOS while improving generalised hyperalgesia, and reduces plasma corticosterone levels and uterine contractility in dysmenorrhea. However, information on clinical trials is inadequate for translating excellent findings on green tea benefits in animal endometriosis models. Thus, future clinical intervention studies are needed to provide clear evidence of the green tea benefits with regard to these diseases.
The effect of incorporating different loadings of oil palm bio-ash nanoparticles from agriculture waste on the properties of phenol-formaldehyde resin was investigated in this study. The bio-ash filler was used to enhance the performance of phenol-formaldehyde nanocomposites. Phenol-formaldehyde resin filled with oil palm bio-ash nanoparticles was prepared via the in-situ polymerization process to produce nanocomposites. The transmission electron microscope and particle size analyzer result revealed that oil palm bio-ash nanoparticles had a spherical geometry of 90 nm. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction results confirmed the formation of crystalline structure in oil palm bio-ash nanoparticles and phenol-formaldehyde nanocomposites. The thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the presence of oil palm bio-ash nanoparticles enhanced the thermal stability of the nanocomposites. The presence of oil palm bio-ash nanoparticles with 1% loading in phenol-formaldehyde resin enhanced the internal bonding strength of plywood composites. The scanning electron microscope image revealed that phenol-formaldehyde nanocomposites morphology had better uniform distribution and dispersion with 1% oil palm bio-ash nanoparticle loading than other phenol-formaldehyde nanocomposites produced. The nanocomposite has potential use in the development of particle and panel board for industrial applications.
This study investigates the characteristics of an antioxidant cream made from the methanol extract of Piper sarmentosum leaves, which is locally known as the wild betel or pokok kadok in Malay. The secondary metabolites of the leaves were subjected to phytochemical tests to detect the presence of natural compounds. Antioxidant activity was described by its total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC), which was assessed by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. A phase diagram was constructed to find a possible region to formulate an antioxidant cream. In phytochemical screening, the methanolic extract showed positive presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids and tannins. In quantitative analysis of antioxidative components, besides having significantly higher TFC content compared with quercetin (P
A study was conducted on the chemical and biological properties of three different species of Mangifera i.e. Mangifera pajang, M. indica L., and M. kemanga leaves obtained from Pitas, Sabah. The aims of this study were to determine the presence of secondary metabolites as well as the antioxidative activities especially the catalase (CAT) and guiacol peroxidase specific activities (gPOD) in the leaves part of these three species. The extraction of these samples was carried out using three different polarities of solvents: hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. The total percentage of the crude extract of is 7.30% for M. pajang, 12.87% for M. indica and 7.98% for M. kemanga. Phytochemical screening was performed with various tests for each of the crude extracts. The results showed that these three species gave positive results for alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, phenols, carbohydrates, phytosterols, and tannins metabolites. Based on the tests, CAT specific activities were significantly higher in the leaves of M. pajang with 4.35 ± 1.18 units/mg protein compared to M. indica L. and M. kemanga. The guaiacol peroxidase (gPOD) specific activities showed that M. indica L. has the highest activity with the value of 0.0047 ± 0.0004 units/mg protein.
In this study, we investigated some bioactive compounds and pharmaceutical qualities of curry leaf (Murraya koenigii L.) extracts from three different locations in Malaysia. The highest TF and total phenolic (TP) contents were observed in the extracts from Kelantan (3.771 and 14.371 mg/g DW), followed by Selangor (3.146 and 12.272 mg/g DW) and Johor (2.801 and 12.02 mg/g DW), respectively. High quercetin (0.350 mg/g DW), catechin (0.325 mg/g DW), epicatechin (0.678 mg/g DW), naringin (0.203 mg/g DW), and myricetin (0.703 mg/g DW) levels were observed in the extracts from Kelantan, while the highest rutin content (0.082 mg/g DW) was detected in the leaves from Selangor. The curry leaf extract from Kelantan exhibited higher concentration of gallic acid (0.933 mg/g DW) than that from Selangor (0.904 mg/g DW) and Johor (0.813 mg/g DW). Among the studied samples, the ones from Kelantan exhibited the highest radical scavenging activity (DPPH, 66.41%) and ferric reduction activity potential (FRAP, 644.25 μ m of Fe(II)/g) followed by those from Selangor (60.237% and 598.37 μ m of Fe(II)/g) and Johor (50.76% and 563.42 μ m of Fe(II)/g), respectively. A preliminary screening showed that the curry leaf extracts from all the locations exhibited significant anticarcinogenic effects inhibiting the growth of breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231) and maximum inhibition of MDA-MB-231 cell was observed with the curry leaf extract from Kelantan. Based on these results, it is concluded that Malaysian curry leaf collected from the North (Kelantan) might be potential source of potent natural antioxidant and beneficial chemopreventive agents.
Elaeocarpus floribundus is higher plant that has been used as traditional medicine for treating several diseases. There is no previous report on phytochemicals and bioactivity studies of this species. In this investigation, triterpenoids friedelin, epifriedelanol and β-sitosterol were isolated from its leaves and stem bark. Determination of total phenolic content of methanolic extract of leaves and stem bark was carried out using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. All extracts and isolated compounds were subjected to screening of antioxidant activity using DPPH free radical scavenging method and cytotoxic activities by MTT assay towards human T4 lymphoblastoid (CEM-SS) and human cervical (HeLa) cancer cells. In the total phenolic content determination, methanolic extract of leaves gave higher value of 503.08±16.71 mg GAE/g DW than stem bark with value of 161.5±24.81 mg GAE/g DW. Polar extracts of leaves and stem bark possessed promising antioxidant activity with methanol extract of stem bark exhibited strongest activity with IC50 value of 7.36±0.01 μg/ml. In the cytotoxic activity assay, only chloroform extract of leaves showed significant activity with IC50 value of 25.6±0.06 μg/ml against CEM-SS cancer cell, while friedelin and epifriedelanol were found to be active against the two cancer cells with IC50 values ranging from 3.54 to 11.45 μg/ml.
The antioxidant activity and the total phenolic content, as well as the influence of petroleum ether, chloroform and methanol extracts from the leaves of Gynotroches axillaris, on microorganisms were studied. The total phenolic contents were evaluated by using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and the obtained values ranged from 70.0 to 620 mg GAE/g. The efficiency of antioxidation, which was identified through the scavenging of free radical DPPH, exhibited that the highest IC50 was in the methanolic extract (44.7 µg/mL) as compared to the standard ascorbic acid (25.83 µg/mL) and to standard BHT (17.2 µg/mL). In vitro antimicrobial activity of extracts was tested against Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. Methanol extract showed activity in the range (225-900 μg/mL) with both types, while petroleum ether and chloroform extracts were only active with Bacillus subtilis. The three extracts strongly inhibited all fungi with activity 225-450 μg/mL. The toxicity test against brine shrimps indicated that all extracts were non-toxic with LC50 value more than 1000 µg/mL. The finding of this study supports the safety of these extracts to be used in medical treatments.
In the present study, in vitro antioxidant, free radical scavenging capacity, and hepatoprotective activity of methanol extracts from Polyalthia longifolia and Cassia spectabilis were evaluated using established in vitro models such as ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH(•)), hydroxyl radical (OH(•)), nitric oxide radical (NO(•)) scavenging, metal chelating, and antilipidperoxidation activities. Interestingly, all the extracts showed considerable in vitro antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities in a dose-dependent manner when compared to the standard antioxidant which verified the presence of strong antioxidant compound in leaf extracts tested. Phenolic and flavonoid content of these extracts is significantly correlated with antioxidant capacity. Since P. longifolia extract was exhibited better in vitro antioxidant activities, it was subjected for in vivo hepatoprotective activity in paracetamol-intoxicated mice. Therapy of P. longifolia showed the liver protective effect on biochemical and histopathological alterations. Moreover, histological studies also supported the biochemical finding, that is, the maximum improvement in the histoarchitecture of the liver. Results revealed that P. longifolia leaf extract could protect the liver against paracetamol-induced oxidative damage by possibly increasing the antioxidant protection mechanism in mice. Our findings indicated that P. longifolia and C. spectabilis have potential as good sources of natural antioxidant/antiaging compounds.