ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL, TOTAL PHENOLIC AND FLAVONOID CONTENT OF ROOTS OF SEVEN ASPARAGUS SPECIES FROM NORTH-WEST INDIA

The aim of current study was to compare the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant activity of roots of seven Asparagus species from North-West India. Total phenolic content measured by Folin-Ciocalteu method ranged from 3.85 ± 0.25 (A. racemosus) to 7.74 ± 0.03 (A. falcatus), 3.42 ± 0.14 (A. racemosus) to 7.22 ± 0.12 (A. falcatus) and 1.12 ± 0.13 (A. officinalis) to 3.93 ± 0.54 mg/g of dry weight of root powder (A. retrofractus) in methanolic, ethanolic and aqueous extracts, respectively, expressed as gallic acid equivalents. The total flavonoid content determined by Aluminium chloride method ranged from 0.61 ± 0.03 (A. officinalis) to 1.86 ± 0.0303 (A. densiflorus), 0.39 ± 0.01 (A. adscendens) to 1.63 ± 0.0403 (A. densiflorus) and 0.31 ± 0.00 (A. adscendens) to 1.51 ± 0.02mg/gDW (A. densiflorus) in methanolic, ethanolic and aqueous extracts, respectively expressed as rutin equivalents. The results showed that TPC and TFC values were highest in methanolic extracts followed by ethanolic and lowest in aqueous extracts. The antioxidant capacity in the form of DPPH was evaluated by spectrophotometric method. The lowest radical scavenging activity was recorded in A. adscendens (149.6 µg/ml), while highest in A. densiflorus (116.2 µg/ml).