72 © Copyright 2011 EManuscript Publishing Services, India Pharmacognosy Communications www.phcogcommn.org Volume 2 | Issue 4 | Oct-Dec 2012 Research Article Optimisation Of Solvent Extraction Of Antioxidants (Phenolic Compounds) From Algerian Mint (Mentha spicata L.) Brahmi Fatiha*, Madani Khodir, Dahmoune Farid, Rahmani Tiziri, Bousbaa Karima, Oukmanou Sonia, Chibane Mohamed 3bs Laboratory, Faculty of Life and Nature Sciences, University of Bejaia, Bejaia 06000, Algeria its decoction is used as lotion in aphthae. The herb is considered to have stimulant, carminative, antispasmodic, stomachic and diuretic properties. It is also used for gas pain, rheumatism, toothache, muscle pain and as a mouth wash. [2] It is cultivated all over Algeria for culinary purposes and to treat gastric troubles. [3] The role of the phenolics and flavonoids as natural antioxidants and free radical scavengers has attracted considerable recent interest due to their pharmacological behavior. [4] According to Mata et al. (2007) [5] , extracts of M. spicata showed high antioxidant activities. The phenolic compounds found naturally in Mentha were suggested to be the major contributors to the antioxidant activities of the plant. However, the extraction method of phenolic compounds differs from plant to plant and an ideal extraction method for a particular phenolic source has to be individually designed and optimized. [6] *Correspondence Brahmi Fatiha Tel/Fax: 0021334214762 E- mail: fatiha12001@yahoo.fr DOI: 10.5530/pc.2012.4.10 ABSTRACT: Introduction: The mints are herbs rich in phenolic compounds that appear to be capable of preventing many diseases. This study allowed for quantifation of the levels of total phenolics and flavonoids from Mentha spicata L. harvested in Bejaia (Algeria) using pure solvents (methanol, ethanol, acetone) and their aqueous mixtures at 50 and 75%. Furthermore, the antioxidant levels were evaluated by two methods. Materials and methods: The total phenolics content (TPC) was evaluated by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Total Flavonoids content (TFC) was determined by aluminium chloride method Radical scavenging activity (RSA) and total antioxidant activity (TAA) of the extracts were determined by standard methods. Results and conclusion: The solvents ethanol and acetone (at 75%) gave the best extraction rates for Mentha spicata (20.02 and 20.20% respectively). The ethanol extract (at 50%) presented the highest TPC (39.47 ± 1.81 mg EAG/g DW). Regarding TFC, acetone 75% was the best extractor (7.68 ± 0 .02 mg EQ/g DW). The acetonic extract at 50% manifests the highest RSA, whereas, the TAA was attributed to the acetonic (0.23 ± 0.01 AU) and ethanolic extracts (0.22 ± 0.02 AU) without significant difference. The variation in the antioxidant capacity between extracts was probably due to the difference of the nature of the compounds extracted with different solvents. KEYWORDS: spearmint, total antioxidant activity, solvent extraction, flavonoids, total phenolics, radical scavenging activity. INTRODUCTION Spearmint ( Mentha spicata L.) is a long-used medicinal herb found in many African countries including Algeria. M. spicata (synonymous of M. viridis Linn.) is a herbaceous perennial with a pungent smell. It is commonly used as a herbal tea, flavoring agent, and as a medicinal plant. [1] Its leaves are generally given for fever and bronchitis and