Determination of free phenolic acids and antioxidant capacity of methanolic extracts obtained from leaves and flowers of camel thorn (Alhagi maurorum)

The present study comprises the determination of some phenolic acids from the leaves and flowers of Alhagi maurorum by HPLC-DAD, confirmed by LC-MS-APCI. The antioxidant properties and measurements of the total phenolic contents of the extracts were assessed by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging and Folin-Ciocalteu methods, respectively. It was found that the leaf extract had higher antioxidant potential (83.5%) than the flower extract (72.3%). The antioxidant properties and total phenolic contents of the leaves were higher than those of the flowers.