Quantification of Antioxidants, in different parts of Hibiscus sabdariffa and development of a product.

Hibiscus sabdariffa L. is a plant that has been used traditionally for various food
products including jams, jellies, syrups etc. It is known to be a rich source of anti-oxidants.
The component that imparts it the bright red colour is the anthocyanin content which also
plays a major role in the anti-oxidant activity of the extracts.
Since all parts of the plant are edible, they can be individually assessed for their antioxidant
potential. The results obtained from the experiments conducted gave a comparison
between the fresh calyx, dry calyx, stem and leaf of the plant.
The antioxidant activity of the extracts was determined using the total anti-oxidant
assay, reducing power assay and ABTS assay. The total phenolic and flavonoid content of the
extracts was also determined.
A higher anti-oxidant activity was found in the calyx and leaf of the plant than in the
stem. The extracts from the dry calyx and leaf were thus used to prepare coloured gelatin
candies.