PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILE AND SCAVENGING CAPACITY OF BLANCHED CNIDOSCOLUS ACONITIFOLIUS (Mill.) I.M. Johnst AND TELFAIRIA OCCIDENTALIS Hook.fil. LEAVES

This study aimed to investigate the phytochemicals, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of blanched Cnidoscolus aconitifolius and Telfairia occidentalis. The blanching pretreatment involves immersing the leaves of C. aconitifolius and T. occidentalis in 80 °C water for 3 minutes, followed by a quick cooling process. The concentration of phenol (37.00 ± 1.00) and saponin (21.98 ± 3.75) were significantly (p≤0.05) increased in blanched T. occidentalis, and statistically similar in C. aconitifolius. Blanching reduced the flavonoid content for T. occidentalis (46.32 ± 1.55) and C. aconitifolius (42.42 ± 3.03), while their anthocyanin content remain significantly similar when compared with their respective un-blanched samples. Tannin content was significantly reduced in blanched T. occidentalis (52.04 ± 3.58), and a non-significant reduction was observed for C. aconitifolius (47.70 ± 1.47). The DPPH and FRAP radical scavenging assay at various concentrations (IC25, IC50, IC75, IC100) revealed an increasing distinct trends in C. aconitifolius and T. occidentalis under blanched and un-blanched treatments. For peroxidase, there was no significant difference between the blanched and un-blanched leaves of the two plant species. Blanching significantly increased polyphenol oxidase for C. aconitifolius (73.80 ± 4.51), while T. occidentalis (31.91 ± 1.75) was reduced when compared with their respective counterparts. This study provides valuable information on the effectiveness of the novel blanching techniques in enhancing various attributes of phytochemicals and antioxidant present in C. aconitifolius and T. occidentalis.