PHYTOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF JACKFRUIT (Artocarpus heterophyllus) AND INDIAN JUJUBE (Ziziphus mauritiana) LEAVES EXTRACTED USING DIFFERENT ETHANOL CONCENTRATIONS

Consumers rely on medical plants for their health benefits. Jackfruit leaves and Indian jujube leaves are commonly used in traditional remedies to address conditions such as ulcers and gout. This study was carried out to determine the phytochemical composition of Artocarpus heterophyllus and Ziziphus mauritiana leaves by conducting alkaloid and coumarin tests, pigments analysis, and phenolic compound profiling. Antioxidant activity was assessed using DPPH radical scavenging assay on extracts prepared with 50% and 100% ethanol as solvents. The colour (L* value) of each leaf showed significant variation, with the topside being considerably lighter and the underside being noticeably darker. Coumarins were present in the 50% ethanolic leave extracts. A. heterophyllus leaves extracted in 100% ethanol had the highest amount of total chlorophyll content (85.95 ± 0.24 mg/g), followed by A. heterophyllus leaves extracted in 50% ethanol (50.91 ± 0.30 mg/g), Z. mauritiana leaves extracted in 100% ethanol (42.89 ± 1.44 mg/g) and Z. mauritiana leaves extracted in 50% ethanol (18.38 ± 2.14 mg/g). Additionally, Z. mauritiana leaves contained a higher concentration of caffeic acid (1.49 mg/mL) compared with A. heterophyllus leaves (0.15 mg/mL) when extracted with 50% ethanol. Finally, the 50% ethanolic extract of A. heterophyllus leaves exhibited higher radical scavenging activity than the 100% ethanolic leaves extract.