Total Polyphenols and Antioxidant Activity of Yellow Velvetleaf (Limnocharis flava) Extract

Abstract

An increase in free radicals can cause damage to cells and tissues in the body. This is caused by a lack of antioxidant ability in the body, so it requires antioxidants outside the body. One of the plants that can be used as a source of antioxidants is the yellow velvetleaf (Limnocharis flava), which has a class of polyphenolic compounds. The crude extract of this plant still has other components that are not included in the polyphenol compound. This study aimed to measure the total polyphenol and flavonoid contents as well as the antioxidant activity of the yellow velvetleaf plant (L. flava) before and after purification. The purification process is carried out using the solid-phase extraction method. The antioxidant activity was determined by using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. The total polyphenol and flavonoid contents increase after the purification process. Therefore, the antioxidant activity of purified extract is also increased when compared to crude extract. These results show that the purification process successfully increased the levels of polyphenol compounds from the yellow velvetleaf plant and its antioxidant activity. Thus, the purified extract can be used as an alternative source of natural antioxidants and can be developed as a food supplement ingredient.