Abstract

ORGANIC GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES IN LOCAL MARKETSARE WE BENEFITTING FROM IT; A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC LEAFY GREEN VEGETABLES

Kandiah M.*, Jameel M. and Mowlana F. M.

Abstract

Today, more than ever before, organic food is in demand as people are more aware of their beneficial properties, including the antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity. Organic food is known to have more phytochemical compounds which are known to have antioxidant properties. The following study aims to evaluate the antioxidant activity and antimicrobial capacity of several organic and inorganic green leafy vegetables which are sold in local markets within Dehiwala, which is located in the suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Five organic and inorganic vegetables were chosen for this study: centella (Centella asiatica), drumstick leaves (Moringa olifera), dwarfcopper leaf (Alternanthera sessilis), leeks (Allium ampeloprasum L) and water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica). To find out the phenolic, flavonoid, and antioxidant capacity of the vegetable samples, the total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, total antioxidant capacity, ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, and ABTS assay were performed. The results clearly depicted that there were no significant correlation between the phenolic and antioxidant content between organic and inorganic vegetables. However, there was a significant outcome with regards to the antioxidant content in both the organic and inorganic vegetables. The antimicrobial activity was determined by the well diffusion method which portrayed the Staphylococcus aureus bacterial inhibition of organic and inorganic vegetables.

Keywords: Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, Organic, Inorganic, leafy green vegetables.