Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of gamma irradiated chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) leaves and roots

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacies of the ethanolic and methanolic 50% extracts of gamma irradiated chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) leaves and roots powder at dose levels of 0, 4, 8 and 12 kGy as antioxidant and antimicrobial. The total phenolic contents (TPC) and total flavonoid contents (TFC) were determined in leaves and roots extracts followed by identification and quantification of the phenolic compounds using HPLC. The antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH and FRAP methods, as well as, the antimicrobial activity was verified by agar well diffusion assay against B. cereus, S. aureus, E. coli, P. aeruginosa, K. pneumonia, A. niger and P. expansum. The obtained results showed that, 4 and 12 KGy doses significantly increase the TPC, TFC and enhanced the antioxidant activity of roots and leaves, respectively. Furthermore, twenty three phenolic components were identified in both leaves and roots extracts. The antimicrobial assay in vitro of all extracts exhibited considerable antibacterial activity against of all tested bacterial strains with slightly differences between plant part extract and had no effects against tested fungal strains. Therefore, the extracts of chicory under study would be a potential source of natural antioxidant and antibacterial and offers lots of opportunities for future application in food industry to produce healthy food and can be used in pharmaceutical industry.