Abstract—Olea ferruginea Royle is an important multipurpose tree and an underutilized fruit tree crop of Himachal Pradesh, India. The antioxidant potential of fruits of this species has not been properly investigated; therefore, in the present study, total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of methanolic extracts of fruits of O. ferruginea from five populations were investigated. Mature fruits from three different trees of approximately same height and age from various populations (Thalaut, Sapangi, Suind, Kolibehar and Kais) were collected. One gram of fresh fruits was homogenized with 10 ml of 80% (v/v) methanol and extracts were analyzed for total phenolic content (mg tannic acid equivalent (TAE)/g fw) and antioxidant capacity [mM of ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE)/g fw of fruit] using 3 in-vitro assays, namely, 1, 1-diphenyl-2-pycrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2’–azinobis, 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid radical scavenging (ABTS) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The total phenolic content in the methanolic fruit extracts among different populations varied between 2.30-3.41 TAE/g fw, and their antioxidant activities using DPPH, FRAP and ABTS assayes among the populations ranged from 0.15 - 0.24, 28.02 - 31.4 and 0.0019 - 0.0138 AAE/g fw. The study further showed that ripe fruits of O. ferruginea possess significantly higher phenolic content, DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging potential as compared to the raw fruits. On the other hand, raw fruits have significantly higher FRAP activity in comparison to ripe fruits. The study reveals that the ripe fruits of O. ferruginea are a rich source of natural antioxidants and can be used as nutraceuticals and should be exploited for commercial purposes.

Index Terms—Total phenolics antioxidant capacity, Indian olive, population, fruits.

R. K. Sharma, N. Sharma, and S. S. Samant are with G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Himachal Unit, Mohal-Kullu 175 126 (H.P.), India (Phone 01902-225329; Fax: 01902-226347; e-mail: rajeshbhu78@gmail.com, neha_sharma429@yahoo.com, samantss2@rediff mail.com).
S. K. Nandi and L. M. S. Palni are with G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Kosi-Katarmal, Almora 263643 (U.K.), India (e-mail: shyamal_nandi@rediffmail.com, lmspalni@rediffmail.com).

 

Cite:R. K. Sharma, N. Sharma, S. S. Samant, S. K. Nandi, and L. M. S. Palni, "Antioxidant Activities in Methanolic Extracts of Olea Ferruginea Royle Fruits," International Journal of Bioscience, Biochemistry and Bioinformatics vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 154-156, 2013.