PHYTO-CHEMISTRY WORTH CRACKING: QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF ETHANOLIC PUNICA GRANATUM L. SEED EXTRACT

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) seeds represent a biologically rich and underutilized by-product of fruit processing whose therapeutic potential has gained considerable scientific interest in recent years. This study presents a systematic phytochemical investigation of the ethanolic seed extract of Punica granatum, encompassing both qualitative screening and rigorous quantitative estimation of the phytoconstituents present. The extraction was performed using ethanol as the solvent system, chosen for its broad-spectrum efficacy in isolating both polar and semi-polar bioactive compounds, using Soxhlet extraction. A total of 50 g of dried seed powder was extracted using 500 mL of 95% ethanol in a Soxhlet apparatus for 8 hours, yielding 6.34 g of dried extract (extractive yield: 12.68% w/w). Qualitative analysis confirmed the presence of alkaloids, phenols, terpenoids, and glycosides; whereas flavonoids, tannins, and saponins were absent under the applied test conditions. Quantitative analysis revealed a total alkaloid content of 4.397 µg AE/g DE, a corrected total phenolic content (TPC) of 13.96 ± 0.42 mg GAE/g DE, and a Baljet-reactive glycoside content of 224.372 ± 3.18 mg QE/g DE (mean ± SD, n=3). The phytochemical profile characterised here is consistent with the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activities reported in the literature for similar pomegranate seed extracts, and warrants direct bioactivity evaluation in future studies.