Studies on bioactivities of tea (Camellia sinensis L.) fruit peel extracts: Antioxidant activity and inhibitory potential against α-glucosidase and α-amylase in vitro

Tea fruit peel is the main byproduct during manufacture of tea seed oil. The great increase in tea seed oil production in recent years brings the challenge of finding application for tea fruit peel. The aims of this study were to obtain tea fruit peel extracts enriched with bioactive compounds by several solvent extraction methods and to evaluate their antioxidant activity and inhibitory potential against α-glucosidase and α-amylase in vitro. Flavonoids and phenolics were accumulated in ethyl acetate, butanol, and chloroform fractions, and these fractions possessed much better antioxidant activities, including scavenging effect on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) cation radicals (ABTS+), and reducing activity, compared with those of the 75% ethanol extract and water fraction. Moreover, the ethyl acetate, butanol, and chloroform fractions exhibited excellent inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase, much stronger than that of the positive control (acarbose). These fractions also showed mild inhibition on α-amylase activity.

► Tea fruit peel extracts could be used as natural antioxidant agents.
► Some fractions exhibited excellent inhibitory potential against α-glucosidase.
► Tea fruit peel can be developed as a renewable bioresource.