Phytochemical Evaluation and Curcumin Content Determination of Turmeric Rhizomes Collected From Bhandara District of Maharashtra (India)

Abstract

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is widely used popular Indian medicinal plant which belongs to the family of Zingiberaceae. Indian turmeric is preferred due to its high Curcumin content as compared to other countries. Curcuminis small molecular weight polyphenolic compound and lipophillic in nature. This active constituent of turmeric is isolated from curcuma longa and it provides colour to turmeric. Curcumin has various medicinal properties and shows Antiinflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial and anticancer activities. It has been observed that the chemical composition of most of the herbs changes with geographical region which may be due to climatic conditions and biochemical variations. The present work deals with phytochemical investigation of the turmeric rhizomes obtained from Bhandara District and determination of its curcumin content. Curcumin was isolated from turmeric rhizomes using reported method. The isolated curcumin was characterised by UV, FTIR and TLC methods. The curcumin content of turmeric rhizomes obtained from Bhandara District was determined and compared with other samples collected from different geographical regions. It was concluded that turmeric rhizomes obtained from Bhandara region has highest curcumin content as compare to other regions in Maharashtra (India).