Antioxidant Activity Test of Chayote (Sechium edule (Jacq.) Swartz) Ethanol Extract using DPPH Method

The chayote ( Sechium edule (Jacq.) Swartz) is thought to have excellent antioxidant activity. Fresh chayote has been used empirically by the public as an antihypertensive and to reduce cholesterol levels. This is because chayote contains several vitamins including vitamin A, B, C, and several secondary metabolites. The antioxidant activity found in chayote can prevent the oxidation of a molecule thus stopping the free radical chain reaction and maintaining the working system in the body. This study aims to determine what secondary metabolites are contained in the ethanol extract of chayote and to determine their antioxidant activity. The chayote used is young and old. The research stages were extraction by maceration method, phytochemical screening, determination of functional groups using the FT-IR method, and testing for antioxidant activity using the DPPH method (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl). The results of the phytochemical screening of the chayote’s ethanol extract contained chemical compounds of the alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, and glycosides. The FT-IR results of the chayote extract showed the presence of functional groups O-H, C-H, C-N, C = C, C≡C, and C-O. The results of the examination of antioxidant activity using the DPPH method for the ethanol extract of young and old chayote fruit obtained IC 50 values of 1281.1 and 847.5 µg/ml.