An Effect of Light Intensity on the Total Flavonoid and Phenolic Content of Moringa Oleifera

Aisha Idris, Alona C. Linatoc, Surayya M. Muhammad, and Zakiyyu Ibrahim Takai

Abstract

Flavonoid and phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites produced by plants in response to harsh environmental conditions. Light is one of the most important ingredients that affects their production. Moringa oleifera (also known as M. oleifera), a plant belonging to the family Moringaceae is having bioactivity due to the flavonoid and phenolic contents of the plant. The objective of the research is to determine the effect of varying light intensity on the total flavonoid and total phenolic contents of M. oleifera. Total flavonoid contents was determine based on the aluminium chloride colourimetry method while total phenolic contents were determined based on the folin-chiocalteau reagent. The results obtained in the study shows that the flavonoid and phenolic contents recovered from sun exposed plants was higher than that of shaded plants. Besides, comparison of the means showed that there is a statistically significant difference between the flavonoid and phenolic contents of the studied plant (P < 0.05). This leads to a conclusion that high light intensity can increase the concentration of flavonoid and phenolic contents of M. oleifera.