Abstract:

Phenolics are broadly distributed in the plant kingdom and the most abundant secondary metabolites of plants. Over the past few years, preparation of phenolic extracts from different plants, purification of phenolic compounds and their identification have become a major area of health- and medical-related research. In this study, the effect of extraction solvents (methanol, ethanol, acetonitrile and acetone), on total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and the composition of the phenolic compounds in soybean extracts were studied. The antioxidant activity was determined using two different methods: DPPH and ABTS assays. Liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detection and electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (LC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS) was used for identification and quantification of phenolic compounds. All the parameters analyzed were found to be affected by the extraction method, especially by the solvent used, and the best results were obtained in the methanolic extract. The methanolic and ethanolic extracts exhibited strong antioxidant activity. Genistein-7-diglucoside, daidzin, genistin, 4’ 7 dihidroxiflavan, daidzein, and genistein were found as major isoflavonoids in all extracts.

Keywords: