Assessment of Antioxidant Activity, Chemical Characterization and Evaluation of Fatty Acid Compositions of Scorzonera Paradoxa Fisch and C. A. Mey

Scorzonera Paradoxa (Asteraceae family) is an herbaceous plant traditionally used as a vegetable in the east of Iran. The amount of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids and tannins in five different extracts and composition of fatty acids in the root and leaves of Scorzonera Paradoxa (S. Paradoxa) were investigated. Besides, antioxidant activity of tissues was determined. Fatty acid compositions were extracted with n-hexane and analyzed by gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Total phenolic compounds, tannin and flavonoids content in the extracts were measured spectrophotometrically and free radical scavenging activity was evaluated by 2, 2-dipheny l-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The amount of total phenolic compounds was higher in leaves than roots. Besides, root extract showed lower DPPH scavenging activity compared with leaves. In addition, leaves were found to be rich in oleic and arachidonic acids, while roots were rich in linoleic and stearic acids. Further investigations are needed about favorable composition of unsaturated fatty acids and flavonoid content of leaves of S. Paradoxa. In addition, due to high phenolic content of the leaves, S. Paradoxa is a promising source of natural antioxidants and may play good antidiabetic activity.