Optimisation of Total Phenolic Compound Extraction and Antioxidant Activity from Dried Inflorescence of Ammi Visnaga Using Mixture Design and Triangular Surfaces

Abstract

Ammi visnaga L. (Apiaceae) is a medicinal plant widely distributed in the Mediterranean area. In Morocco, the umbel is traditionally prescribed for mouth care, toothache, and diabetes. This study was designed to examine the affinity of different solvents towards total phenolic compounds (TPC) from the dried umbels of Ammi visnaga. Mixture Design Response Surface Methodology was performed to maximize phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity using the selected solvents from the first step. Plant extracts were prepared using the optimized solvent mixtures. Ternary mixture with 66.67% acetone, 16.67% water, and 16.67% methanol was the most proper mixture to obtain high TPC (29.62 ± 0.60 mg EGA/g dw). Pure methanol was appropriate for TAC followed by binary mixture of 50% water and 50% acetone and ternary mixture with equal proportion of three studied solvents. Special cubic model explained the variance of the total phenolic content, and the antioxidant activity of our extracts at levels of R2 are greater than 95%. In general, the total phenolic content and the antioxidant activity of our extracts increased with the increasing amount of water in the methanol or acetone solvent mixture. The extraction ability of phenolic compounds was also influenced positively and significantly by the water content