Chemical, fatty acid, volatile oil composition and antioxidant activity of shade dried neem (Azadirachta Indica L.) flower powder

Shade dried neem (Azadirachta indica) flower powder (NFP) was evaluated for composition, fatty acid profile, volatile oil composition and antioxidant activity. NFP was rich in protein (17.34%), fiber (12.32%) and ash (9.16%). The volatile oil (0.07%) contained 85% of caryophyllene. The lipid yield of NFP was 12%, which was composed of equal quantities (45 ± 1%) of saturated (SFA) and poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). In SFA, the palmitic (31.76%) was major, in PUFA, linoleic (18.57%), linolenic (12.64%) and oleic (9.74%) were higher. Arachidonic (20:4) and docosatrienoic acids (22:3) were also present to an extent of 7.38% and 5.7%, respectively in the total lipid. NFP showed 25.31% radical inhibition with 0.6 mg and 58.50% at 2 mg and comparable iron reducing power. The results reveal that neem flower volatile fraction and lipid can be further explored for pharmaceutical or food applications.