Monitoring the antioxidant activities by extracting the polyphenolic contents of algae collected from the Bosphorus

Abstract

The identification and quantification of ascorbic acid, phenolic acids and flavonoids were carried out simultaneously with a rapid method of reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Total flavonoid contents were being determined by UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and total phenolic contents were determined by UV-Vis spectrophotometry using the Folin-Ciocalteu Reagent (FCR) method. In all of the individual contents and total phenolic content analysis, the best results were obtained with the methanol-water solvent system. The methanol-hexane solvent system was selected as the best for the extraction of total flavonoid contents. The reason for this difference is the flavonoids in the analyzed samples which were the lipophilic character. Examining the algae species, the highest contents were achieved from Ulva lactuca and Ceramium rubrum species. Depending on industrial activity and the population density, regional characteristics have been shown to be effective in the changes of these contents which show antioxidant properties.

Keywords: Antioxidant; Ascorbic acid; Istanbul Strait; Phenolic content; Seaweed; Solvent system.