Phytochemical and antioxidant properties of the Nigeria Kola: Kola acuminata (Oji Igbo) Kola vera (Oji Hausa) and Garcinia kola (Bitter Kola)

Abstract

Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical and antioxidant of analysis of Kola acuminata, Kola vera and Garcinia kola was carried out to determine the presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, saponins and glycosides. The result revealed that Garcinia kola (bitter kola) has high content of flavonoid (9.70+ 0.30) and saponin (9.23+0.55) followed by Kola vera (6.93+0.42) and (6.30+0.36) and least in kola acuminate (6.00+0.20) and (4.40+0.50). Kola vera has the highest content of tannins (4.44+0.2) and glycosides (2.31+0.17) compared with Garcinia kola and kola acuminate with tannin and glycode content as (3.56+0.04) and (1.43+0.06) and (2.23+0.04) and (1.57+ 0.26) respectively. Kola acuminate has the highest content of alkaloids (2.7+0.12) followed by Kola vera and Garcinia kola. The result of the antioxidant activities showed that Garcinia kola has the highest percentage of the antioxidant activities for nitric oxide scavenging capacity, reducing power, hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity and anthacyanin content followed by kola acuminate and Garcinia kola.