Antioxidant Activity and Phenolic Content of Sonication- and Maceration-Assisted Ethanol and Acetone Extracts of <em>Cymbopogon citratus</em> Leaves

Cymbopogon citratus is a medicinal and well-known aromatic plant which is usually used as a substitute for green-tea with extraordinary phytomedicinal potential. It is of great importance because it offers several promising health effects. The objective of the study was to investigate the antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of lemongrass leaves extracted by maceration and ultrasound-assisted extraction techniques. Different concentrations of both acetone and ethanol (50% and 70%) as solvents were tested for their radical scavenging activity against the stable free radical DPPH in quantization using a spectrophotometric assay. The ultrasound-assisted extraction technique had advantageous results in the polyphenols extraction yield (26.68%), TPC (61 mg GAE/g of extract) and DPPH (73.85%) compared to the maceration technique. Overall, the results were significant from 50% ethanol and the DPPH results were more significant from 70% ethanol than other concentrations. It is concluded that the ultrasound-assisted extraction is a better extraction technique for polyphenols than other conventional techniques