Chemometric Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity in Libo Fruit Extracts: Correlation with Phenolic and Flavonoid Content

Libo fruit (Ficus septica Burm. F.) is traditionally used for its medicinal properties, including antioxidant activity. This study assessed the antioxidant potential of methanol (EM) and purified (EP) extracts of Libo fruit collected from four regions in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. Antioxidant activities were measured using ABTS and CUPRAC assays, while total phenolic and flavonoid contents were quantified by Folin–Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride methods. EM from Sampara and EP from Katobu showed the strongest antioxidant capacities, which were inversely correlated with IC₅₀ values. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) grouped the samples into three clusters based on physicochemical similarities, supported by FT-IR spectral data. These findings suggest that F. septica fruit extracts are potent natural antioxidants and that chemometric approaches effectively differentiate extracts by chemical composition.