Effect of Extraction Techniques and Solvents on Antioxidant Activity of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Leaf and Stem

Abstract

The effect of commonly used techniques and solvents in the antioxidant activities of Pomegranate leaves and stems were studied. The extraction techniques compared were successive, individual (cold percolation), and decoction methods in both parts using solvents viz. petroleum ether, toluene, ethyl acetate, acetone, and water. The antioxidant activity of all the different solvent extracts of leaves and stem was evaluated using antioxidant assays like 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl free radical scavenging assay, superoxide anion radical scavenging assay and ferric-reducing antioxidant power. Total phenol and flavonoid content was also measured. Successive extraction was a better technique to extract the antioxidants from pomegranate than other techniques evaluated in the present study. For the aqueous extraction, decoction method was found to be the best method to extract the antioxidants and it is the most convenient, exhaustive, and time-saving extraction technique for both parts of pomegranate. The results showed that the extracting solvent significantly altered the antioxidant property estimations of pomegranate leaf and stem. High correlations between phenolic compositions and antioxidant activities of pomegranate extracts were observed. High levels of antioxidant activities were detected in pomegranate leaf as compared to stem indicating that the leaf may serve as an excellent source of natural antioxidants.