Phytochemical profiling and in vitro antioxidant activity of Dacryodes edulis seed flour methanol extract [Articol]

Abstract

The growing interest in naturally derived bioactive compounds with health-promoting properties has intensified the study on Dacryodes edulis seed flour methanol extract (DESME). DESME obtained by the cold extraction method using methanol was characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Antioxidant activity was assessed by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical and ferric reducing antioxidant power assays. Phytochemical analyses, conducted through established standard methods, identified a wide class of compounds, including saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, phenolic compounds, coumarins, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, carbohydrates, and free amino acids. Among the identified compounds by GC-MS, fatty acids and fatty acid esters were an abundant class, with 9-octadecenoic acid being the most dominant compound, comprising 13.66% of the total composition. FT-IR showed major absorption peaks at 1709 cm⁻¹, 1611 cm⁻¹, and 3276 cm⁻¹, confirming the presence of carbonyl, aromatic, hydroxyl, and nitrogen-containing functional groups, respectively. DESME demonstrated a total phenolic content of 320.68±0.33 GAE mg/g and exhibited strong radical inhibition (92.52%).