Evaluation of phytochemicals and antioxidant activities of the bark and fruit peel of Citrus aurantifolia (Lime Orange) grown in Olamaboro, Kogi State, Nigeria

Abstract

The potency of Citrus aurantifolia in the treatment and prevention of several ailments have been in practice by traditional doctors within our local domains for decades. The need to elucidate the active ingredients responsible for its potency is pertinent. Hence, this study assesses the phytochemicals and antioxidant properties of Citrus aurantifolia fruit peels and bark. After the plant parts have been gathered, they were dried, pulverized, and extracted using absolute ethanol. The re sults of the phytochemical reveal the bark and fruit peel to contain carbohydrates, glycosides, saponins, phenolic com pounds, tannins, flavonoids, proteins and amino acids. The percentage KMnO4 radical scavenging effect for the antioxi dant activities indicates that the bark and fruit peel of Citrus aurantifolia are potential antioxidants; with % KMnO4 radical scavenging ability for the bark as 81.21% and the fruit peel as 87.57%; these shows great antioxidant potential as they compete favourably with the reference ascorbic acid 82.00% at EC50. These findings are clear manifestation that the bark and fruit peel can scavenge and inhibit free radical effectively from the body and can be a good source of therapeutics for prevention and treatment of certain ailments for better health management. It is concluded that the free scavenging radical ability of this plant parts could be attributed to its rich bioactive substances and therefor a significant prove for its medici nal usefulness traditionally for disease management. Isolation and standardization into pure forms for purity enhancement and effective administration is highly recommended.