Abstract

The aim of this work is to compare the antioxidant efficacy and the phenolic content of two hexane extracts viz. ‘Hex 1’ and ‘Hex 2’ of fruits of Terminalia chebula prepared by maceration and sequential method, respectively. The extracts were tested for their relative levels of antioxidant activity and the total phenolic content using DPPH, deoxyribose, reducing power, chelating power, lipid peroxidation and Folin-Ciocalteu method. Furthermore, the UV–VIS spectrum of extracts and the correlation between total phenolic content were examined in order to give an orientation to the search of phytochemicals responsible for their activity. From the results, it was concluded that phenolic compounds were predominant in the ‘Hex 2’ prepared by sequential extraction method. The antioxidative potential of ‘Hex 2’ was also far superior to the ‘Hex 1’ prepared by maceration method. Such study would contribute to further knowledge relating to the extraction of plant materials by different methods.

Key words: Terminalia chebula, extraction method, antioxidant activity, phenolic compounds.