~ 1333 ~ The Pharma Innovation Journal 2022; 11(9): 1333-1336 ISSN (E): 2277-7695 ISSN (P): 2349-8242 NAAS Rating: 5.23 TPI 2022; 11(9): 1333-1336 © 2022 TPI www.thepharmajournal.com Received: 02-07-2022 Accepted: 13-08-2022 Netravati Ph.D., Scholar, Department of Post-Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala, India Saji Gomez Professor, Department of Post- Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala, India Berin Pathrose Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala, India Mini Raj N Retd. Professor, Department of Plantation Crops and Spices, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala, India Meagle Joseph Retd. Associate Professor, Department of Post-Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala, India Shynu M Professor, Department of Veterinary Biochemistry, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, KVASU, Mannuthy, Thrissur, Kerala, India Suma A Scientist, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Regional Station, Thrissur, Kerala, India Corresponding Author: Netravati Ph.D., Scholar, Department of Post-Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala, India Assessment of free radical scavenging activity of Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) fruit peel anthocyanin pigment obtained through different extraction methods Netravati, Saji Gomez, Berin Pathrose, Mini Raj N, Meagle Joseph, Shynu M and Suma A Abstract Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) belonging to the family Clusiaceae, a tropical fruit that is highly prized for its deliciously tasting edible aril, which is enclosed in an inedible dark-purple rind that is considered as waste but is as rich source of anthocyanin pigment. The experiment was conducted with an objective to evaluate the free radical scavenging activity of the anthocyanin pigment concentrate obtained by different extraction methods of Mangosteen fruit peel, which included aqueous (distilled water) extraction, acidified aqueous (1% citric acid), solvent extraction (50% ethanol), acidified solvent (50% ethanol with 1% citric acid) extraction and Microwave Assisted Extraction (MAE) with acidified solvent (50% ethanol with 1% citric acid). The results revealed that significantly higher (86.37±0.77) free radical scavenging activity was seen in MAE extraction method using acidified solvent (50% ethanol with 1% citric acid), whereas it was lower (56.25±0.77) in aqueous extraction method. Using MAE and acidified ethanol as the solvent, antioxidants can be effectively extracted in the anthocyanin pigment concentrate from Mangosteen peel resulting in higher free radical scavenging activity with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) assay. Given the current need for plant-based colourants with more health benefits, further studies are needed to ascertain the pigment's antioxidant property utilizing various assays. Keywords: Mangosteen fruit peel, anthocyanin pigment, extraction, hydrogen peroxide, scavenging activity 1. Introduction The search for natural sources that could deliver active compounds to counteract the effects of free radicals on cells has grown in recent years. Hence, there have been a lot more studies on natural antioxidants (Ghasemzadeh et al., 2018) [7] . Mangosteen is a tropical fruit that is highly prized for its deliciously tasting edible aril. But, the edible portion makes up only 30% of the total fruit, while the remaining pericarp and seed are regarded as waste (Osman and Milan, 2006) [18] . The recent studies have shown that the pericarp extract of the mangosteen is the primary sources of phytonutrients such as anthocyanins, oligometric proanthocyanins and xanthones and so there have been several reports on its antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antiproliferative, and anticancer capabilities (Geetha et al., 2011; Ghasemzadeh et al., 2018; Kosem et al., 2013; Lacombe et al., 2010; Moongkarndi et al., 2004; Sze Lim et al., 2013; Taher et al., 2016; Tjahjani et al., 2014; Zafra-Stone et al., 2007; Zarena and Sankar, 2012) [6, 7, 11, 12, 17, 22, 23, 25, 27, 28] . Anthocyanins are known for their high antioxidant properties which by giving the hydrogen atom to free radicals, they can either directly scavenge free radicals or indirectly prevent them by chelating free metal ions (Mishra et al., 2013) [16] . The body needs antioxidants to stop free radicals, enhance health and boost immunity (Kondo et al., 2009) [10] . The free radicals viz., single oxygen ( 1 O2), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide radical ( • O − 2) and hydroxyl radical ( • OH) are chemical substances that can exist individually with one or more unpaired electrons, produced as undesirable byproducts (Das and Roychoudhury, 2014) [4] . Free radical production can result in thousands of reactions and significant tissue damage, which in turn leads to harm DNA, proteins and lipids (Basile et al., 1999; Sreejayan, 1997) [2, 21] . It is believed that the antioxidants in Mangosteen rind have a significant role in promoting health benefits and preventing various ailments (Gondokesumo et al., 2019) [8] . In this context, Mangosteen is not only used as food but it is also used as functional food, especially its peel which has the