Antioxidant Activity and GC-MS Identification of Mint Leaf (

Degenerative diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disorders, premature aging, and cancer are closely associated with oxidative stress caused by free radicals. Natural antioxidants from plants may provide a preventive strategy towards this disease. This study aims to evaluate the antioxidant activity of mint leaf (Mentha piperita L.) subfractions using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and to identify active compounds via GC-MS. Subfractions were obtained through vacuum column chromatography (VCC) of the ethyl acetate extract and tested for antioxidant activity. The subfraction with the highest % inhibition (EA4) was further analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The EA4 subfraction demonstrated a high antioxidant inhibition of 86.9 ± 0.08%. GC-MS analysis revealed 12 chemical constituents, with the major compounds of trilaurin, lauroyl diethanolamide, lauric acid triglyceride, palmitic acid, and myristic acid. These findings suggest that the EA4 subfraction of mint leaves has potential as a source of natural antioxidants.