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Antioxidant Activities and Total Phenolic Content of Multi-colored Fruits and Vegetables in Thailand

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Sirikhwan Tinrat

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Fruits and vegetables are valuable sources of natural phenolic antioxidants which are

known to have beneficial health promoting properties. The main objectives of this study were

to compare the antioxidant activities and total phenolic and flavonoid contents of ten

ethanolic edible plant extracts (Five species of fruits and vegetables) with varieties of colors.

The result showed that purple color of plants, including ethanolic extracts of Brassica oleracea

Linn. (40.7 ± 0.56%) and Vigna sesquipedalis (4.52 ± 0.01%) significantly showed the highest

TPC and TFC compared with the same species and other species with different colors (p<0.01).

Measurement of antioxidant capacity, yellow Capsicum annuum Linn. (58.72±0.52%) and

purple Solanum melongena Linn. extract (22.44 ± 1.20%) significantly showed the maximum

antioxidant activities by DPPH radical scavenging activity assay and ferric ion reducing

antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, respectively (p<0.01). Base on shades of color pigment

extracts, green and red pigment had more potential antioxidant activities than other colors.

The purple and yellow pigments showed the maximum total phenolic contents by

Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. These results concluded that purple color of plants; Brassica oleracea

Linn. and Vigna sesquipedalis in this study had the potential to be a suitable source of cheap

phenolics and flavonoids as antioxidant compounds.

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Edible plant extracts; Antioxidant activity; Total phenolic and flavonoid contents; Fruits and vegetables