Augmenting phyto-chemical and phyto-mineral profiling of moringa leaf extract: A contrastive study of solid-liquid extraction methodologies.

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Nutritional Biochemistry
• Plant Chemistry

Background:

• Global food systems face stability and legitimacy challenges due to climate change, leading to widespread malnutrition.
• Unhealthy diets contribute to undernourishment, overweight, and micronutrient deficiencies.
• Plant-based nutrient sources are crucial for addressing dietary challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the phytochemical composition and extraction efficiency of Moringa oleifera leaf extracts.
• To compare four extraction methods: maceration, Soxhlet, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE).
• To evaluate the impact of extraction methods on nutrient and bioactive compound recovery.

Main Methods:

• Extraction of Moringa oleifera leaves using 70% hydro-ethanolic solvent via maceration, Soxhlet, UAE, and MAE.
• Analysis of proximate phytochemical composition, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), protein, and ascorbic acid.
• Assay of antioxidant activity using DPPH and determination of IC50 values.
• Phyto-mineral analysis using ICP-OES and morphological analysis using SEM.

Main Results:

• UAE and MAE demonstrated superior extraction efficiency and higher recovery yields compared to conventional methods.
• Advanced methods yielded significantly higher levels of total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids, protein, and ascorbic acid.
• UAE exhibited the highest antioxidant activity and lowest IC50 values, indicating potent free radical scavenging capacity.
• SEM analysis correlated morphological changes with enhanced phytomolecule recovery.

Conclusions:

• Novel extraction techniques, particularly UAE and MAE, significantly enhance the extraction of bioactive compounds from Moringa leaves.
• These advanced methods improve the quality and quantity of essential nutrients, making Moringa a promising candidate for nutraceutical and biofortified food development.
• The findings support the use of optimized extraction methods to combat malnutrition through enhanced plant-based food products.