Physicochemical characteristics, minerals, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of Ficus lutea trunk bark by conventional and sonicated extract

Abstract

The common wild fig, Ficus lutea, is an African ethnomedicine plant that is used topically in the treatment of infections, inflammatory diseases, and other life-threatening illnesses.

In this study, the physicochemical characteristics, minerals and phytochemical composition were analyzed, as well as the effect of sonication extraction (SE) and conventional extraction (CE) on the yield, phenolic content (TPC), flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant activity (FRAP) of the trunk bark of F. lutea.

Moisture (14.02 ± 0.52%), total ash (6.18 ± 0.02) and pH (5.17-5.84) met international standards. For mineral analysis, Calcium, Strontium and Molybdenum were the three major elements followed by K, Fe, Zn and Mn. Qualitative phytochemical analysis showed that phenols, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, steroids and terpenoids, saponins and glycosides were detected. From CE to SE, extraction yields increased from 31.5 to 46.6%. TPC increased from 361.5 ± 3.42 to 379.63 ± 2.31 µg GAE/mg. Similarly, TFC increased from 2.73 ± 0.13 to 3.64 ± 0.25 µg QE/mg. FRAP increased from 227 ± 1.08 to 232 ± 1.14 µg ETrolox/mg. Therefore, sonication improved the extraction of bioactive compounds of F. lutea trunk bark.

The study has therefore approved the ethnomedical claims that Ficus lutea is valuable in disease treatment. Nevertheless, there is a need to the study the optimization of bioactive compounds by sonication using mathematical modeling.