Evaluation of antioxidant activities of turmeric extracts from Turkey

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the in vitro potential of ethanolic and methanolic extracts of turmeric as a natural antioxidant. The iron chelation activity of the extracts was increased in a dose-dependent manner. The methanolic extract was found to be richer in antioxidant phytochemicals, such as phenolics (502.6 ± 11.3 mg GAE/g DW) and flavonoids (303.2 ± 4.1 mg PE/g DW). The total antioxidant activity was found to vary in the order: ethanolic extract > methanolic extract > ascorbic acid > α-tocopherol > BHT > BHA. Moreover, extracts had effective reducing power, free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging and ABTS scavenging activity. The results obtained in this study clearly indicate that turmeric has a significant potential to use as a natural antioxidant agent.