Evaluation of antioxidant activity and the fatty acid profile of the leaves of Vernonia amygdalina growing in South Africa
2007
Erasto, P. | Grierson, D.S. | Afolayan, A.J.
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 α-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.
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