ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES AND GC-MS ANALYSIS OF DRIED FRUITS OF ILLICIUM VERUM HOOK.F.

Arumugam P.*, Monica Joicy C., Sivaraj C. and Saraswathi K.

ABSTRACT

Spices are flavoured, aromatic substances used commonly as condiments and preservatives. In recent years, antioxidant properties of spices are well explored by scientific community due to its natural origin. Antioxidant properties are related to the efficiency of a substance to protect the food substances containing lipids and oils from oxidative deterioration. They control the rancidity process and retard the formation of toxic oxidation products. Due to natural origin of spices and increasing attention towards green consumerism, use of spices as an antioxidant alternative is an emerging research area. The antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids, polyphenolics, terpenoids, lignans, sulfides, carotenoids, saponins, coumarins, plant sterols, curcumins, and phthalides present in spices are mainly responsible for their antioxidant properties. Spices come from different parts of a plant other than the leaves while herbs come from leaves of a plant. Spices and herbs can be classified into various groups based on flavour/taste, taxonomy or part of the plant where they came from. Research studies were carried out for evaluating the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of ethanol extract of dried fruits of Illicium verum. Antioxidant activities such as DPPH˙ radical, ABTS●+ radical cation, phosphomolybdenum reduction and Fe3+ reduction, also haemolytic inhibition method were carried out for ethanol extract of dried fruits of Illicium verum. 2,2’-Bipyridine,6,6’-dimethyl-, Flavone, Phenol,2,6-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-ethyl-, 1-Hexacosene, Octadecanoic acid,3-oxo,methyl ester were the active compounds that were detected by GC-MS analysis.

Keywords: DPPH? radical, ABTS?+ radical cation, anti-inflammatory, GC-MS, 2,2’-Bipyridine,6,6’-dimethyl-.