Effect of solvent and extraction time on the antioxidant properties ofCitrus macroptera

We aimed to evaluate the effects of solvents and different time intervals on the extractions of phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties of the pulp of the Citrus macroptera. The pulp of the fruit was extracted for one and two hours separately with four types of solvent namely- methanol, ethanol, acetone and water. Total phenolic content was determined by using Folin-Ceucalteu method, while ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), 1,1- diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl DPPH radical-scavenging activities, alpha amylase inhibition assay, and the inhibition of the lipid per-oxidation were used to test their antioxidant properties. Both the acetone extractions showed better extraction efficacy in the phenolic content extraction whereas water extractions showed higher antioxidant properties in TAC and DPPH radical scavenging activities. Our present study indicates that both time and solvent extractions played a vital role in the extraction of phenolic contents and their antioxidant properties of C. marcoptera. We propose water as more suitable solvent to extract this fruit considering its extraction efficacy as well as its availability and use.