Effect of Plant Stage and Solvent Extraction on Catechin Contents in Borrasus flabellifer L. Male Flower

Abstract

Borrasus flabellifer L. is a plant in the Arecaceae (Palmae) family with numerous bioactivities such as diuretic promotion, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects. In this study, we are interested in the phytochemical compounds present in B. flabellifer L. male flowers. We investigated the effects of plant stage and solvent used for extraction. Initially, both the young and mature male flowers of this plant were extracted using water or ethanol. Several standard compounds, including gallic acid, catechin, caffeic acid, and quercetin, were utilized to screen the phytochemicals in these plant flowers. After analyzing the samples using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method, only catechin was detected in all extracts, while the others were not detected (did not match the peak spectrum pattern compared with standard). Using a detection wavelength and curve parameters with an R2 value of 0.9999, catechin detection via HPLC was performed at 280 nm within the range of 13.12 to 210.00 μg/mL detection. Regarding the stage of the male flower, the young ones extracted with water provided the highest catechin content at 6.65 μg/mg extract, while the others fell within the range of 4.02 to 4.44 μg/mg extract. Therefore, it has been confirmed that catechin can be found in B. flabellifer L., and water should be used as the solvent for extraction for further applications of this plant. Key words: Borrasus flabellifer L., Male flower, Catechin, HPLC, Young, Mature