Sequential extraction of red button ginger ( Costus woodsonii ): Phytochemical screening and antioxidative activities

Abstract

Costus plant is considered as a medicinal plant especially in therapeutic intervention. The current study reports the composition, phytochemical, and antioxidant properties of red button ginger (Costus woodsonii) using sequential extraction. Solvents of different polarities (hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water) were used to sequentially extract the C. woodsonii bract, at increasing polarities. Phytochemical screening showed positive presence of flavonoids (all types of extracts), terpenoids (only in methanolic extract), and tannins (except aqueous extract). Overall, methanolic extracts showed the significantly (p ≤ .05) highest ascorbic acid content (75.76 ± 1.47 mg/100 ml), total phenolic content (249.64 ± 2.83 mg GAE/100 g), DPPH free radical-scavenging activity (78.76 ± 0.97%), ferric reducing antioxidant power (22.55 ± 0.96 mg TEAC/g), superoxide anion scavenging activity (46.60 ± 1.57%) and hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity (50.35 ± 0.96%). In short, sequential extraction provides understanding of polarity specificity of C. woodsonii plant and result indicated high polarity solvent (methanol and water) recovered higher bioactive compounds. Practical applications Sequential extraction procedures have shown a rapid increase in applications, in a wide range of sample types. This study proposed the use of sequential extraction with solvents of different polarities to elute maximum amount of compounds present in Costus woodsonii plant. Many studies indicated that Costus genus plant exhibited high bioactivities such as anticancer, apoptotic effect, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetics, antifungal, and antibacterial properties which revealed the potential values of these plants for nutraceutical application. However, the study on C. woodsonii is very limited. This report would reveal the assessment of sequential extraction performance and its relationship with the properties of C. woodsonii. This would generate considerable interest to the research community to improve the understanding of this plant. Overall, this report is very beneficial to impart a new information to the food industry as well as the pharmaceutical field, which may broaden the application of this plant as a potential functional crop and bioactive ingredient.