Abstract

Sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis) or Inca star is a medicinal plant. Fruit and seed are mainly used.
The research team has brought various parts of this plant namely leaves, vines, and bark of the fruits.The objectives of this research were to analyze the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of Sacha Inchi from the leaves, vines, and bark of the fruits and to study the efficiency of antioxidant activity and tyrosinase inhibition activity of Sacha inchi.The leaves, vines, and fruit bark were extracted with 95 % ethanol using the maceration technique. The leaves, vines, and bark of the fruits crude extracts were analyzed in terms of total phenolic contents using the Folin-Ciocalteu method, whereas the total flavonoid contents were analyzed using aluminum chloride colorimetric method The results of the total phenolic contents in leaves, vines, and bark of the fruits were found to be 26.3441±0.8895, 37.0925±0.8898 and 30.5202±1.9938 mg of gallic acid/g sample, respectively. The total flavonoid contents were 407.6190±2.5036, 171.2516±3.6696, and 179.0318±3.7771 mg of rutin/g sample, respectively.  Antioxidant activity in leaves, vines, and bark of the fruits was showed with EC50 as 0.0092±0.0090, 0.0803±0.0063 and 0.2527±0.1105 mg/ml, respectively, compared to standard BHT with EC50 as 0.1296±0.0528 mg/ml. The tyrosinase inhibition activity in leaves, vines, and bark of the fruits showed with IC50 as 0.0016±0.0107, 0.4924±0.1500 and 0.5986±0.2751 mg/ml, respectively, compared to standard kojic acid with IC50 as 0.0002±0.0011 mg/ml. All selected part of the Sacha inchi has phenolic and flavonoid contents. Antioxidant activity in Sacha inchi extracts, which were found were leaves, vines, and bark of the fruits, respectively. In addition, the tyrosinase inhibition activity was found mainly in the leaves, although to a lesser degree in vines, and bark of the fruits of Sacha inchi.

Keywords: Sacha inchi, Phenolic, Flavonoids, antioxidant, Tyrosinase Inhibition