Comparative Solvent Extraction, Phytochemical Profiling, and Antioxidant Evaluation of Banana (Musa sp.) Peel
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61952/jlabw.v2i5.682Keywords:
banana peel, Musa sp, solvent extraction, phytochemical screening, antioxidant activity, waste valorizationAbstract
Banana (Musa sp.) peel is an abundant agricultural and food-processing by-product containing phytochemical constituents with potential antioxidant and value-added applications. This study evaluated the effects of extraction solvents on crude extract recovery and conducted preliminary phytochemical and antioxidant characterization of dried banana peel. Peel powder was extracted using 50% aqueous ethanol, water, methanol, ethanol, acetone, diethyl ether, and n-hexane. Qualitative phytochemical screening, Folin–Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride colorimetric assays, DPPH radical-scavenging analysis, and thin-layer chromatography were performed. The highest crude extract recovery was obtained using 50% aqueous ethanol (43.32%), followed by water (43.00%), methanol (37.08%), ethanol (30.62%), diethyl ether (6.30%), acetone (6.08%), and n-hexane (5.13%) in decreasing order. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of carbohydrates, reducing constituents/sugars, tannins, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and fixed oils and fats in the peel extracts. Among the evaluated polar extracts, 50% aqueous ethanol consistently produced the highest aluminum chloride assay response. DPPH analysis of the ethanolic extract demonstrated concentration-dependent radical-scavenging activity, reaching 85.53% inhibition at the highest reported concentration. TLC revealed eight distinguishable chromatographic zones. These findings demonstrate that the solvent composition influences banana peel extraction and support further quantitative and chromatographic investigations of banana peel as a potentially valuable plant byproduct
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