Total Flavonoid, Total Phenolic contents and Antioxidant activity of Methanol and n-hexane extract from purple passion fruit peel

The utilization of passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. edulis Sims) is still focused on the fruit, while the passion fruit peel is still not widely applied. The passion fruit peel has the potential as an antioxidant. The polarity of solvents used in the extraction process can affect the antioxidant activity of a medicinal plant. This study aims to determine in vitro antioxidant activity using DPPH and total flavonoid and phenol content of methanol and n-hexane extract from purple passion fruit peel. The powder of purple passion fruit peel was extracted using the maceration method with methanol and n-hexane solvent and a ratio of 1:12. The total flavonoids and phenols from each extract were determined using UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The in vitro antioxidant activity was performed using the 2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method by determining inhibitory concentration (IC50) values. The results showed that methanol and n-hexane extract yields were 4.53% and 0.76%, respectively. Furthermore, the total phenolic content of 35.95mg GA E/g extract in purple passion fruit peel was higher than the total flavonoid content of 3.25mg QE/g extract. There was an absence of total flavonoids and total phenols in n-hexane extracts. The antioxidant activity assay using the DPPH method based on IC50 values showed that methanol extract (14.63mg/L) had better antioxidant activity than n-hexane extract (37.39mg/L). In conclusion, the results suggest that methanol and n-hexane extract from Passiflora edulis f. edulis Sims can decrease free radicals and could be used as a natural antioxidant.