Fatty Acids, Bioactive Content and Antimicrobial Activity of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. Extract Obtained by Different Techniques

Abstract

Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (Hibiskus) is a plant that belongs to the Malvaceae family and and is a rich source of anthocyanins and other bioactive compounds. In this study, the total phenolic and flavonoid content, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of commercially supplied Hibiscus sabdariffa calyx extracts obtained by two different extractors (soxhlete and ultrasonic bath) were investigated. In addition, fatty acids were analysed by GC-MS analysis, 14 different fatty acids were determined and the major fatty acid components of extracts obtained from plant calyxes were palmitic acid (15.25%) and oleic acid (32.18%) and linoleic acid (30.77%). The ultrasonic bath was found to be more effective to reveal the bioactive contents of the extracts than the soxhlete. Total phenolic content and flavonoid values of plant calyx extracts (USB) were 23.29 and 3.08 mg ml-1, respectively, and FRAP and IC50 (% DPPH) values were 47.54 µg g-1 and 0.61 mg ml-1, respectively. Antimicrobial activity experiment carried out with total of 9 microorganisms consisting of seven bacteria and two yeast showed that H. sabdariffa extracts had dose-depended inhibition on test microorganisms but S. cerevisia.