Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia
Abstract
The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of Phyllanthus acidus. The P. acidus fruits were dried using three different methods, namely oven (OD), air (AD) and freeze (FD) dryings and extracted with ethanol at different ratios (50 and 100%). The proximate analysis and total phenolic content (TPC) as well as free radical scavenging and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities were determined. The proximate analysis of P. acidus fruit indicated that all the dried samples contained potential nutrient contents. The highest TPC value, α-glucosidase inhibitory and antioxidant activities were observed for 50% ethanolic extract from OD method with TPC value of 28.39 mg GAE/g dried extract, IC50 value of 12.394 μg/mL and 64.17% inhibition, respectively. The study revealed that phenolic compounds could be the main contributors to the antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities based on the Pearson correlation coefficients with R values of 95.0 and 73.8%, respectively. The study could provide scientific evidence for some folk uses in the treatment of diseases related to the production of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress
