Antioxidant activity in selected fresh vegetables in Jaffna

Abstract

Generally, fruits and vegetables are very good source of natural antioxidants which consists of many different antioxidant components. Though there are many vegetables available in the markets with high antioxidant values and high mineral composition, most of them are very expensive. Hence as an alternative source of minerals and antioxidants the possibility of consuming conventional vegetables was taken into consideration in this study. The procedure was carried out to determine the antioxidant activity based on the inhibition of the free radical 2,2’-diphenyl-1-picrilhydrazil (DPPH) in ethanol extract of the okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.), beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.), bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.), brinjal (Solanum melongena L.), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), banana peppers (Capsicum annuum), green chili (Capsicum annuum L.), carrot (Daucus carota), yard long beans (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). According to the results, okra had the highest EC50 value (9.255 ± 0.130 mg/mL) while beetroot had the lowest EC50 value (0.743 ± 0.032 mg/mL) among the tested vegetables. It showed that Okra had the lowest antioxidant activity while beetroot had the highest antioxidant activity. Beetroot got the lowest EC50 value which was higher than the standard L-Ascorbic acid (0.005 ± 0.001 mg/mL). EC50 of all the tested vegetable samples are significantly different from each other as well as from L-Ascorbic acid. Considering these results, the local vegetables mentioned above also contain high antioxidant activities and can be included in our diet to lead a healthy life.