Fractionation and determination of phenolic and flavonoid compound from Moringa oleifera leaves

Abstract

Moringa oleifera is one of the nutrient-dense multipurpose plants that grows in Indonesia. M. oleifera leaf extract contains many phenolic compounds and flavonoids, one of them is quercetin compounds. In this study, total phenolic, total flavonoid, and quercetin compounds were determined based on their fraction as free phenolic acids (FPA), phenolic acid ester (PAE), and phenolic acid glycosides (PAG) which separated by phenolic acid fractionation methods. Fractionation method was done by liquid-liquid extraction. Total Phenolic compounds and flavonoid were determined using spectrophotometric UV-Vis. The concentration of quercetin was determined using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Total phenolics in the crude extract (CE), FPA, PAE, and PAG fractions respectively were 50.2042; 5.7963; 1.5260; and 0.0617 mg/g GAE. The total flavonoids in the CE, FPA, PAE, and PAG fractions were 25.6627; 1.7207; 1.0510; and 0.2843 mg/g QE. The quercetin compounds in the CE, FPA, PAE, and PAG fractions were 1.7123; 1.9607; 0.1921; and 0.5067 μg/g. Moringa oleifera is potential natural sources for phenolic and flavonoid, particularly of quercetin.