Studies on the antioxidant activity of essential oil and various extracts of Ammodaucus leucotrichus Coss. & Dur. Fruits from Morocco

This study was designed to examine the total phenolic and flavonoid levels and the antioxidant activities of the essential oil (EO) and various extracts obtained from fruits of Ammodaucus leucotrichus using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. According to the results obtained, the odorized extracts exhibited stronger antioxidant activity than the desodorized extracts. The highest radical-scavenging activity was shown by the odorized water soluble (OdMW) of the methanol extract (IC 50 = 36.7 µg.ml −1 ), whereas the EO showed the weakest activity potential with an IC 50 = 3326.7 µg.ml −1 . As well as the radical-scavenging activity of the extracts, they were evaluated in terms of their total phenolic and flavonoid contents. The subfractions of methanol extracts from odorized material were found to be rich in phenolics and flavonoids, followed by the subfractions of desodorized methanol extracts and the hot water extracts. Finally, a positive correlation was observed between the antioxidant activity and total phenolic and flavonoid levels of the extracts.