Abstract

The present study was carried out for analysis of n-hexane extract of Nitraria schoberi fruits and also for evaluation of the total phenolics and antioxidant activity of the fruit extracts. The n-hexane extract was obtained by Soxhlet apparatus and analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Total phenolic content (TPC) was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteau reagent and the antioxidant capacity of the n-hexane and methanolic extracts as well as essential oils, was evaluated with the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test. Seventeen constituents, representing 88.89% of the oil, were identified, belonging to different groups of chemical compounds namely fatty acids, sterols, esters and hydrocarbons. Linoleic, palmitic, oleic and myristic acids were identified as the dominant fatty acid components, and gamma sitosterol and campestrol were the major elucidated sterols. The results indicated that methanolic extract had higher antioxidant activity than n-hexane extract and essential oils. TPC was relatively high and determined as 5.72 µg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/mg of dry weight (DW). This study revealed that N. schoberi is an attractive source of fatty acid components, especially the essential ones, as well as that of effective natural antioxidants.

Key words: Antioxidant activity, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), Nitraria schoberi L., total phenolic content.