Antioxidant Activity and Phenolic Content of Microwave-Assisted Solanum melongena Extracts

Eggplant fruit is a very rich source of polyphenol compounds endowed with antioxidant properties. The aim of this study wasto extract polyphenols from eggplant entire fruit, pulp, or skin, both fresh and dry, and compare results between conventionalextraction and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE).The effects of time exposure (15, 30, 60, and 90 min) and solvent (water 100%or ethanol/water 50%) were also evaluated. The highest amount of polyphenols was found in the extract obtained from dry peeledskin treated with 50% aqueous ethanol, irradiated with microwave; this extract contained also high quantity of flavonoids andshowed good antioxidant activity expressed by its capacity to scavenge superoxide anion and to inhibit lipid peroxidation