Comparative study of soxhlation and maceration, phytochemical screening, and quantitative estimation of total flavonoid content of Baccaurea courtallensis leaves

Baccaurea courtallensis (Wight) Muell. Arg., also known as ‘Mooty fruit’ is an unexplored wild edible tree distributed in the Western Ghats of India, mainly in Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. This plant has numerous medicinal properties and treats many ailments like diarrhoea, dysentery, skin infections, piles, etc. These properties are contributed by phytochemicals present in the plant. These plant compounds with anti-disease or protective qualities are called phytochemicals. Identifying these phytochemicals through scientific methods is known as phytochemical screening. Qualitative phytochemical screening helps to identify various phytoconstituents while quantitative estimation determines the amount. The process by which the phytoconstituents are separated from the plant using suitable solvents is known as the extraction process. In this study, the dried leaves of Baccaurea courtallensis (Wight) Muell. Arg., were extracted by maceration and soxhlation processes using five different solvents like Petroleum ether, Chloroform, Ethyl acetate, Methanol and Water successively, and preliminary phytochemical evaluation of all the extracts were carried out and compared the results obtained. When compared to maceration, soxhlet extraction gives the highest yield. Phytochemicals like flavonoids, tannins, phenols, steroids, carbohydrates, saponins, glycosides, anthraquinones, coumarins and proteins are obtained. The quantitative estimation of flavonoids was carried out using the aluminium chloride colorimetric method.