Extraction and Identification of Natural Rubber from the Latex Obtained from Ficus Carica. Latex Characterization

Natural rubber is a material, of vital importance, which is formed not only by the Hevea brasiliensis tree but also by various plant species (Carica papaya, Ficus carica, Taraxacum kok-saghyz, Parthenium argentatum).Amongst these, only the species Taraxacum kok-saghyz and Parthenium argentatum are explored as alternative sources of natural products.The goal of this article was to assess the screening of latex extracts, the determination of density, the determination of total solids, the determination of alkalinity, the determination of conductivity, the determination of total polyphenol content, the determination of total flavonoid content, the determination of antioxidant activity, the rubber extraction and the determination of rubber moisture.The screening result revealed the presence of proteins, amino acids, fatty acids, carboxylic acids, resins, alkaloids, phytosterols, terpenes, diterpenes, terpenoids, coumarins, polyphenols, flavonoids, saponins, steroids and the absence of catechins, glycosides, xanthoproteins, and anthocyanins.Following the determinations, the following values of the determined parameters were obtained: density 0.977 g mL -1 , total solids 43.5%, alkalinity 0.53%, conductivity 210 S cm -1 , total polyphenols 349.7 g GAE mL -1 , total flavonoids 13.4 mg EC g -1 , DPPH antioxidant activity 59.75%, ABTS antioxidant activity 511 g TE mL -1 , rubber mass 3.78% and rubber moisture 98.2%.