ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF SOME COMMON PLANT SOURCES

Enhancing the shelf life of any product with natural extract from fruits and vegetables is most desirable. These extracts with known and unknown bioactive compounds can also be exploited to inhibit the oxidation in human system. In the present study evaluation of the antioxidant potentials of selected fruits, vegetables, spices and medicinal plants available locally was carried out by five methods selected, which represents lipid peroxidation occurring in both food as well as in biological system. Neem leaves in medicinal plants, tomato and cabbage in vegetables, curry leaves in leafy vegetables, pomegranate and amla in fruits, coriander seed and decalepis rhizome showed very good antioxidant potency in most of the methods selected in the study, which were comparable to synthetic antioxidant such as BHA, TBHQ etc. Utilization of the extracts studied may result in formulating better health care products with enhanced shelf life and little or no side effects.