Influence of extraction technique on yield and antioxidant activity of extracts from Moringa oleifera leaf

The article presents research on the exploring of extraction process of biologically active substances from the leaves of the Moringa oleifera tree using ethanol. Ethanolic extracts were obtained using three different techniques: maceration with shaking, ultrasound-assisted extraction and extraction in Soxhlet apparatus, in different time variants: 1, 2 and 4-hours. After solvent evaporating and drying, the yields of dry extracts obtained in particular processes were calculated. The antioxidant activity of extracts was analyzed spectrophotometrically using DPPH radical scavenging method, and total phenolic content (TPC) was determined by Folin-Ciocalteu method. By means of gas chromatography with mass selective detector (GC-MS), 11 biologically active compounds present in ethanolic extracts were identified, among which α-tocopherol had the greatest share. Based on the results, the influence of the extraction technique and time on the yield and antioxidant activity of M. oleifera leaf extracts were discussed.