Phytochemical studies on antioxidant activities of two types of Karonda (Carissa carandas) during storage

Abstract

Carissa carandas Linn. is a large dichotomously branched evergreen shrub. It has several medicinal and nutritional properties. An experiment was conducted considering two types, viz., pinkish-green and pinkishwhite to compare the phytochemical changes in perspective of antioxidant activity during storage. In fresh fruits, the maximum ascorbic acid content (50.98 mg/100 g) was recorded in pinkish green fruits as compared to pinkish-white (36.86 mg/100 g). Similarly, the scavenging activity of methanol extract of pinkish-green fruits was found significantly higher (89.57%) as compared to pinkish-white fruits (86.27%) in fresh samples. However, the minimum loss in phenol content (11.36%) was recorded in pinkish-white type during storage upto 8 days. Therefore, karonda fruits may be considered as an important phyto-chemical source for making different traditional medicines.