Phenolics, antioxidants and color properties of aqueous pigmented plant extracts: Ardisia colorata var. elliptica, Clitoria ternatea, Garcinia mangostana and Syzygium cumini

- Garcinia mangostana exhibited highest in antioxidant activities but moderate in color properties.
- Clitoria ternatea exhibited highest in color properties but moderate antioxidant in activities.
- Garcinia mangostana exhibited highest in phenolic acids, flavonoids and anthocyanins content.

Plants have been an exemplary source of antioxidant and colorants. The purposes of this study were to determine the phenolic compositions, antioxidant and color properties of the selected pigmented plants. The highest concentration of gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid, quercetin, epicatechin, catechin and cyanidin 3-sophoroside were found in Garcinia mangostana. G. mangostana showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) value of oxygen radical antioxidant capacity (ORAC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacities (20.18 µmol trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC)/g, 75.37 mM TEAC/g, 7.57 µM TEAC/g and EC50 = 0.35 mg/mL respectively) as compared to the other samples. The highest value of color density (1.69 absorbance unit (AU)), indices of polymeric color (0.31 AU) and chroma (33.38) were exhibited by Clitoria ternatea. Thus, G. mangostana and C. ternatea exhibited better potential in antioxidant and colorant properties as compared to Syzygium cumini and Ardisia colorata var. elliptica.