Influence of Extraction Scheme on the Antioxidant Potential of Caralluma tuberculata

Herbal industry of developing countries is facing several technical issues related to the extraction conditions in order to attain the maximum yield of a plant extract with maximum therapeutic attributes. Therefore the present study was aimed to investigate the best technique for respective herbal products. The effect of three different extraction techniques: ultrasonic assisted extraction, microwave assisted and orbital shaker assisted extraction, by using three solvents (80% methanol, ethanol, and ethyl acetate) on the antioxidant potential of Caralluma tuberculata stem (non-conventional vegetable) extracts were investigated. Folin-Ciocalteu method was applied on tested samples in order to find the concentration of total phenols. Therefore, the optimized extract of high yield and maximum total phenolic content was selected for further analysis like total flavonoid contents, FRAP, DPPH and ABTS scavenging potential. Quantification of phenolic acids in the extracts was also carried out by HPLC. Significant variation was observed in the yield of total phenols within the extracts, but better results were obtained in aqueous methanolic extract of ultrasonic assisted extraction, followed by microwave assisted and orbital shaker assisted extraction. Present findings supported the view that ultrasonic assisted extraction can be used for phytochemicals profiling, activity guided assays and the development of herbal products. Correlation coefficients of active principles indicated a significant relationship to antioxidant capacity P < 0.05.