In the present study, the evaluation of mineral contents of black pepper seeds is determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The mineral analysis of the Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) of black pepper consists of Manganese (Mn) 2.282 ± 0.01 µg/ml, Magnesium (Mg) 8.148 ± 0.08 µg/ml, Copper (Cu) 0.27 ± 0.005 µg/ml, Zinc (Zn) 0.593 ± 0.01 µg/ml and Iron (Fe) 0.89 ± 0.005 µg/ml. The efficiency and stability of natural antioxidants in black pepper seed oil are determined by reducing power (FRAP). Free radicals present in oils and fats are responsible for harmful for the body cell. The stability of natural antioxidants of black pepper seed oil and their significance at different concentrations is calculated by the One Way ANOVA Test. In the present study, the result showed that the increased concentration of black pepper seed oil by solvent soxhlet extraction and cold pressing (25 µg/ml - 100 µg/ml) has a positive correlation with reducing power assay. The result showed that black pepper oil can remove toxic compounds produced in the body and help maintain the body cells. In addition, the extraction methods can be helpful for the improvement in the preservation of important nutrients that may be sensitive to thermal heat. Cold pressing is a useful method as it can exclude the use of heat as well as organic solvent in the soxhlet method.
Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is commonly used spies in all over word. In the state of dry and ground beans are used in cooking purpose for flavoring and enhance the shell life of the food product. Black pepper is also used in natural medicine, due to its therapeutic properties (Nair, 2011). To enhance the quality control of the spies are essential for consumer safety and evaluating the potentially toxic contamin-ants such as metal elements (Darko et al., 2014). Trace elements may be incorporated in them due to the processing through drying, grinding, packing and transport step. The number of studies has been reported in determination of metal elements present in plant samples such as spies, herbs and medicinal plants including black pepper (Solak et al., 2012)
Vegetable oils are used as raw material for the various products. During the storage, processing and high temperature exposure is responsible to produced toxic products like peroxides, dimmers, etc, which changes the taste and nutritional quality of food (David & Choe, 2003). Some free radicals present in the body is causing agent of cancer and first it attack on cell DNA, mutational changes occurred in DNA which finally induced cancer (Ahmad et al., 2010; Abdullahi et al., 2011). Now a days scientists are interested on natural antioxidant to cure cellular degradation (Ahmad et al., 2011; Obinna et al., 2009). The focused on natural antioxidant present in plants have been increased and it is consider as non-toxic and environmental friendly (Ahmad et al., 2011; Ahmad et al., 2010). In recently the plants are consumed as food additives due to their antioxidant activity (Ahmad et al., 2011; Abdou, 2011; Sharif et al., 2019; Rahman et al., 2020).
The regenerative tissues of Black pepper have antioxidant activities such as in-vitro shoots, callus, roots and in-vitro plantlets due to presence of flavanoids and phenolic contents (Ahmad et al., 2010). The effect of black pepper on membrane lipid peroxidation has been checked on rats both enzymetic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activities and found that black pepper reduced the oxidative stress (Vijayakumar et al., 2004). Black pepper also prevents the intestine induced lipid peroxidation, oxidative stress, lung carcinogenesis, different radicals such as hydroxyl and super oxides radicals and human lipoxygenase (Neha and Mishra, 2011; Vijayakumar et al., 2004; Muhtaseb et al., 2008; Naseri and Yahyavi, 2007; Selvendiran and Sakthisekaran, 2004).
The present study is conducted with the following aims and objectives
In present study, the mineral analysis of the atomic absorption spectrometry of black pepper is consist of Manganese (Mn) 2.282 ± 0.01 µg/ml, Magnesium (Mg) 8.148 ± 0.08 µg/ml, Copper (Cu) 0.27 ± 0.005 µg/ml, Zinc (Zn) 0.593 ± 0.01 µg/ml and Iron (Fe) 0.89 ± 0.005 µg/ml as shown in (Table 1).
Table 1: Minerals contents present in Black pepper seed (µg/ml).
It is reported that the bouillon cubes contain low levels of iron and zinc reported by (Akpanyung, 2005) which is used in food preparations, which is positively correlated that the low level of iron and zinc present in black pepper seed oil. It is utilized as food additives and improves the shell life of food product reported by (Krause, 2019). Comparatively lower concentrations of Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu were reported in (Table 2) by (Lee et al., 2020; Al-Jasass and Al-Jasser 2012: Shahen et al., 2019; Ozcan and Akbulut 2007).
Table 2: Comparisons of Mineral contents present in Black pepper seed oil with reported mineral contents of black pepper pericarp.
The Mg level in black pepper was more than that mentioned in spinach (87 mg/100 g), tuna (64 mg/100 g) and brown rice (44 mg/100 g), and only slightly lower than that in almond (270 mg/100 g) had reported by (Jones, 2017). Mg is important minerals in forming bone, strengthening heart functions, relaxing muscle, conducting memory and metabolizing glucose was reported by (Veronese et al., 2016). Thus black pepper seed oil is showed stronger health beneficial effects on human beings. (Bouba et al., 2012) had studied on the nutritive analysis, mineral analysis and vitamin analysis of twenty commonly used wild plants as spice in Cameroon. They found that all the spices have less moisture contents ranging from 7.7 g/100g to 10.5 g/100g and greater ash value ranging from 7.7 g/100g to 10.5 g/100g. The lipid content was comparatively higher found in Monodora myristica as 53.4 g/100g, Xylopia aethiopica as 33.7 g/100g, Fagarale prieuri as 32.1 g/100g and Aframomumda niellii as 23.1 g/100g. Their studies indicate that spies are good source (Sielicka & Samotyja, 2013) were studied on the antioxidant properties of extracts obtained from cold-pressed oils using different solvents. They were used five solvents which were acetone, methanol, acetone: water (50:50 V/V), methanol: water (50:50 V/V) and methanol: water (70:30 V/V). They mainly focused in the determination of antiradical properties by using the antioxidant assay (ferric reducing antioxidant power). They observed that antioxidant activities of samples were different in different solvents. This study showed that different methods of extraction are responsible for showing difference in reading of the samples. (Oliver et al., 2006) worked on chemical and antioxidant abilities of twelve essential oils of spices. Antioxidant efficiency was determined by four different assays such as oxidative stability of fat assay (RANCIMAT), DPPH assay, ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP) and thio-barbituric acid reactive species assay (TBARS). The antioxidant activities of different oils were arranged on bases of increased antioxidant power by descending order which as followed Syzygium aromaticum, Ocimum basilicum, Laurusnobilis, Cori-andrum sativum, Myristica fragrans, Piper nigrum, Helichrysum italicum, Mentha piperita, Marjorana hortensis, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Salvia officinalis and Foeniculum vulgare respectively. The black pepper oil was used as insect-repellent, insecticidal and inhibition in developmental activities of an important wheat grain pest Tribolium castaneum and it was observed that larval stage and adult appearance were reduced with increased dose of black pepper oil had reported by (Upahyay & Jaiswal, 2007). (Uyoh et al., 2013) were worked on two frequently common used spices in Nigeria which were Piper nigrum and Monodora myristica and their seeds and leaf were utilized as natural antioxidants in vitro assay systems. On the comparisons with black pepper extract, the Monodora myristica extract was better in antioxidant ability and all the extracts depend on their concentration for antioxidant activities. This work showed thats spices plant has ability to utilize as natural antioxidant and would help to reduce the free radical damages when consumed. (Zhang & Xu, 2015) had studied on the antioxidant abilities of black pepper and white pepper oils. Their antioxidant activities were dependent on concentration of oil. White black pepper oil has high antioxidant activity as compared to black pepper oil. These results indicated that white pepper and black pepper essential oil used as a natural anti-oxidant. In present study it is indicated that reducing power of black pepper seed oil and ascorbic acid has direct relationship to the concentration. Absorbance of black pepper seeds oil obtained through soxhlet and ascorbic acid at different concentrations (25 µg/ml - 100 µg/ml) is shown in (Fig. 1A).
Fig. 1A: Reducing power ability of black pepper seeds oil through soxlet and ascorbic acid.
Absorbance of black pepper seeds oil obtained through cold pressing and ascorbic acid at different concen-trations (25 µg/ml - 100 µg/ml) is shown in (Fig. 1B). Comparison of absorbance of black pepper seeds oil extracted from soxhlet and cold pressing at different concentrations (25 µg/ml - 100 µg/ml) is shown in (Fig. 1C). It is cleared from the figures that absor-bance increased at higher concentrations which showed that the higher antioxidant activity at higher concentration. The reducing power ability of the black pepper seeds oil had positive correlation with the reported reducing power ability of black pepper oil (Zhang and Xu, 2015). The significance of antioxidant activity of black pepper seed oil by soxhlet and cold pressing at different concentrations (25 µg/ml - 100 µg/ml) is determined by one way ANOVA Test.
Fig. 1B: Reducing power ability of black pepper seeds oil through cold pressing and ascorbic acid.
For the sake of accuracy data were recorded as mean ± S.D, the statically significant value of sample is less than 0.05 (P < 0.05) while the P value of sample is greater than (P < 0.05) than there is not significant correction present between two extraction methods. The value of Probability value of antioxidant activity of black pepper seed oil by soxhlet and cold pressing at different concentrations (25 µg/ml - 100 µg/ml) is determined by One Way ANOVA Test as reported in (Table 3), to evaluate the efficiency and stability of black pepper seed oil extracted by soxhlet and cold pressing.
Fig. 1C: Comparison of reducing power ability of black pepper seeds oil through soxhlet and cold pressing.
The significance of black pepper seed oils by soxhlet and cold pressing is P value (0.000) is less than 0.05 then the data is statically more significant. Thus the data is significant and antioxidant property is highly correlated with each other and black pepper seed oil is used as antioxidant. This P value of black pepper oil is positive correlation with vegetable oils had been reported by (Valantina & Neelamegam, 2015). These results suggested that the black pepper seeds oil has good potential of natural antioxidant. It has been utilized as antioxidant in medicines, anti cancer agents and other cosmetic products (Ahmad et al., 2024).
The outcomes of this study indicate that black pepper seed oil has stability and good efficiency as affected by two different extraction methods. The result also indicates that natural antioxidants present in black pepper seed oils are significant and their anti-radical activity increased rapidly with increased concentra-tion. The black pepper oil is revealed that it has less adverse effect on human health. Black pepper seed oil has important minerals in forming bone, strengthening heart functions, relaxing muscle, conducting memory and metabolizing glucose. Black pepper seed oil is indicated that it has great potential to use as natural antioxidants and as anti-radical agents in various useful products for human health. Further investi-gation is also recommended to determine the different aspects of black pepper seed oil which are beneficial for mankind.
I am thankful to my Co-Supervisor Dr. M. Sheeraz Ahmad for allowing me to execute that work in the Biochemistry lab of PMAS AAUR, for his constant support and encouragement throughout our research work.
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Academic Editor
Md. Ekhlas Uddin, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Gono Bishwabidalay, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Ahmad U, Mateen A, Raja NI, and Mashwani ZUR. (2024). Evaluation of mineral contents and antioxidant ability of black pepper seed oil by soxhlet and cold pressing. Am. J. Pure Appl. Sci., 6(4), 113-120. https://doi.org/10.34104/ajpab.024.01130120