A Multiparametric Protocol for the Detailed Phytochemical and Antioxidant Characterisation of Plant Extracts

Medicinal and herbal plants are abundant sources of phytochemicals, which are biologically active compounds with potential health benefits. The characterisation of phytochemicals has been the subject of many studies, but there is a lack of comprehensive assays to accurately assess the main phytochemical categories and their antioxidant properties. To address this, the present study has developed a multiparametric protocol comprising eight biochemical assays, which quantify the major categories of phytochemicals, including polyphenols, tannins and flavonoids, as well as their antioxidant and scavenging potential. The presented protocol offers several advantages over other methods, including higher sensitivity and significantly lower cost, making it a simpler and more affordable approach compared to commercial kits. The protocol was tested on two datasets with seventeen distinct herbal and medicinal plants, and the results demonstrated its effectiveness in accurately characterising the phytochemical composition of plant samples. The modular design of the protocol allows its adaptation to any spectrophotometric instrumentation, while all assays are simple to follow and require a minimum number of analytical steps.

Automated summary

Medicinal and herbal plants are rich sources of biologically active phytochemicals, but comprehensive methods to accurately assess their composition and antioxidant properties are lacking. This study developed a multiparametric protocol with eight assays to quantify major phytochemical categories and their antioxidant potential. The protocol offers advantages of higher sensitivity and lower cost compared to commercial kits. Testing on herbal and medicinal plants demonstrated its effectiveness in characterising phytochemical composition. The modular design allows adaptation to different spectrophotometric instruments and the assays are simple to follow with minimal steps.