Antioxidant properties of BJRI vegetable mesta-1 (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.)

Roselle or Mesta (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is one of the plants whose plant parts are used to prepare juices. The Roselle calyx is considered as a good source of antioxidants. But the antioxidant properties of BJRI (Bangladesh Jute Research Institute) released Roselle vegetable variety, BJRI vegetable mesta-1, is not quantified yet. With the objective of making this vegetable more popular among the consumers, an experiment was conducted at the Jute Agriculture Experimental Station, Bangladesh Jute Research Institute, Jagir, Manikganj to find out the antioxidant properties of BJRI vegetable mesta-1. Total four antioxidant components eg., total phenol content, total flavonoid content, proanthocyanidin content, anthocyanin content and three antioxidant activities eg., DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging, (FRAP) ferric ion reducing antioxidant power, H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide), radical scavenging were measured from the calyx sample of BJRI vegetable mesta-1. Among the four antioxidant components, total flavonoid contents (959.53 mg 100 g–1) posses the highest position and anothocyanine contents (0.17 mg 100 g–1) were in the lowest position. FRAP activities were highest among the antioxidant activities of the calyx of our studied vegetable mesta. Our findings represented the quantity of antioxidant contents of the calyx of BJRI vegetable mesta-1 which justify its uses as natural antioxidants. Thus, Roselle calyx may act as an alternative source of antioxidant rich natural herbal tea.