Optimizing Polyphenol Content and Extraction Methods for Antioxidant Constituents from Portulaca oleracea: Comparing Reflux and Maceration Methods with Various Solvents

Background: The pursuit of developing effective drugs as antioxidants can be traced back to herbal ingredients, including purslane (Portulaca oleracea). The potential of purslane as a medicinal herb can be maximized by selecting the most suitable extraction method and type of solvent. Objective: To assess the levels of total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids, and radical scavenging capacity in P. oleracea obtained through various extraction methods and solvents. Methods: This study combines maceration and reflux methods with 96% ethanol, 80% ethanol, 96% methanol, and 80% methanol solvents to extract total phenolics, flavonoids, and radical scavenging activity from purslane. The folin-ciocalteu method was employed for measuring phenolic content, the AlCl3 method for flavonoid content, and the DPPH method for radical scavenging activity determination. Results: The reflux method using 80% methanol produced the highest total phenolic content, 5.15 ± 0.07 mg GAE/g DW. The maceration method using the same solvent yielded the highest total flavonoid content, 5.74 ± 0.29 mg QE/g DW. Both extraction methods showed similar radical scavenging activity, 1.10 ± 0.003 mg AAE/g DW for maceration and 1.07 ± 0.04 mg AAE/g DW for reflux. Conclusion: The extraction method and solvent significantly impact the total phenolic and flavonoid content produced by P. oleracea.