Antioxidant Capacity, Total Phenol Contents and Phytochemical Screening of Citrullus colocynthis Crust, Pulp and Seeds Extracts

Abstract

In this study, the phytochemical screening of Citrullus colocynthis (C. colocynthis) crust, pulp, and seed extracts was studied to evaluate and compare their antioxidant capacities and total phenol contents. C. colocynthis fruit, including crust, pulp, and seed, was extracted using n-hexan, methanol, and 1, 1, 2 trichloroethane, respectively, using a soxhlet. Phytochemical screening, antioxidant capacity using the Ferric-Bipyridine Reducing Capacity of total antioxidants (FBRC) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) methods, and total phenol content were assessed to estimate their effect on the antioxidant capacity of C. colocynthis. The results showed that the seed extract showed negative results for all tests except fixed oil and fats, protein, and amino acids, while the pulp extract showed positive results for most tests. The crust extract showed positive results for reducing sugar, tannins, and saponins. The total phenol content of Yemeni C. colocynthis demonstrated the highest value compared to C. colocynthis from different areas. Antioxidant capacity showed the highest values for pulp and the lowest values for crust according to FBRC and FRAP methods. Based on these results, antioxidant capacity and total phenol content values showed that pulp has the highest values, while crust has the lowest values.