Journal
FOOD CHEMISTRY
Volume 104, Issue 2, Pages 636-642Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2006.12.013
Keywords
Vernonia amygdalina; fatty acids; antioxidant activity; free radical scavenging
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The leaves of Vernonia amygdalina were examined for antioxidant activity and analysed for their fatty acids content. Using transesterification and GC-MS analysis, 12 fatty acids were identified, which accounted for 74.1% of the lipid content. Two essential fatty acids (EFA), linoleic and cy-linolenic acid were found in abundance in the oil. Using DPPH and a ABTS radical scavenging experiments, acetone, methanol and water extracts were screened for their antioxidant activity. The methanol extract exhibited high activity, by scavenging 75-99.3% of the DPPH radicals and 96.2-100% of the ABTS(-+)radicals. These values are higher than those of butylated hydroxytoluene and were less than or equal to those of catechin. The water extract was the least active; its activity ranged from 29% to 88% for DPPH radicals and 76.8-98.3% for ABTS(-+). The presence of EFA and the high antioxidant activity of the leaf extracts have validated the importance of V. amygdalina in the diet. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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