May 2014

Phytochemical screening of the leaf extracts of Hyptis spicigera plant

The present study reports the screening of phytochemical constituents of the leaf extracts of Hyptis spicigera using hexane, ethylacetate and methanol and the leaf powder of the plant. Qualitative analysis of phytochemical constituents showed the presence of the following secondary metabolites vitannins, carbohydrates, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, alkaloids, quinones, coumarin, terpenoids, resins and cardiac...

Author(s): Z. Ladan, J. O. Amupitan, O. A. Oyewale, R. G. Ayo, E. Temple and E. O. Ladan

May 2014

Colour of starch-iodine complex as index of retrogradability of starch pastes

Starch retrogradation is mainly due to the amylose fraction of starch. Amylose quantification is usually done by iodine staining with which it forms a blue colour complex while starch retrogradability can be monitored by freeze-thaw stability measurements. In this work, spectroscopic determination of the blue value and visual monitoring of starch–iodine colour complex were used to study starch retrogradation. The...

Author(s): Louis M. Nwokocha and Gabriel B. Ogunmola