INVESTIGATION OF CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF PAPAYA SEED EXTRACT

Abstract

The seeds represent a significant portion of by-products which are typically considered as a waste, and thus discarded. The present study was conducted to investigate major chemical compositions and antioxidant activity of papaya seed extract. The amount of lipid and protein was respectively determined by Soxhlet and Bradford methods, while carbohydrate and total polyphenol levels were respectively measured by using DNS and Folin Ciocalteu reagents. The antioxidant activity was examined by the reducing power, DPPH and ABTS⁺ assays. It was found that papaya seed extract was composed of 3.6% carbohydrate, 6.8% lipid, 18.85% protein, and 3.1 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dried weight. On the other hand, the reducing power of papaya seed extract was exhibited at the range concentration of 10-80mg/ml. Moreover, DPPH and ABTS⁺ rafical scavenging activities of papaya seed extract was also determined at IC₅₀ values of 19.7mg/ml and 1.6mg/ml, respectively. These results indicated that papaya seed extract could be a potential material for the development of functional foods for human health beneficial effects.