EVALUATION OF PHYTOCHEMICAL PONTENTIAL OF N HEXANE OIL OF CITRUS SINENSIS EPICARP

ABSTRACT The studies carried out assessments of phytochemicals of the possible n-hexane oil of epicarp citrus sinesnsis. The citrus sinensis was sourced from their natural environment in ogbomoso, southwest, Nigeria in July. The epicarp was carefully removed using a sharp knife. The epicarp was washed and spread on a clean surface to air dry until they crumbled to touch. It was pulverized using the electrical grinder and subjected to Soxhlet extractor, an apparatus utilized for the effective extraction of bioactive compounds from unripe citrus sinensis. Rotary evaporator is used after extraction of oil in order to efficiently and delicately remove the solvents from samples by the process of evaporation, usually under reduced pressure, to concentrate the extract through the process of evaporation of the solvent. The proprietary phytochemical constitution and other biological activities of the green epicarp are investigated using Citrus sinensis and n-hexane, which is a non-polar type of solvent that selectively isolates lipophilic compounds such as terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids, and essential oils. This study aims to confirm the potential antimicrobial and free radical scavenging activities of phytochemicals extracted using this biomass. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of major bioactive compounds such as terpenoids, flavonoids, steroids, and alkaloids. The result showed that the growth of the tested microorganisms was highly inhibited by the extract; thus, it indicated very high antimicrobial activity from the unripe peel extract. Antioxidant activity using a DPPH radical scavenging assay was also conducted, and its results indicated a moderate to high degree of antioxidant potential, hence its ability to neutralize free radicals. It can be concluded that the n-hexane extract from Citrus sinensis unripe epicarp is a promising source of natural bioactive compounds, since the extracts evidenced high antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Such findings support its potential use in proposing natural therapeutic agents, which might include formulations with antimicrobial action and antioxidant supplements, and justify further investigation into broader applications within medicine and industry.