Asian Journal of Food Research and Nutrition

Seeds of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (Fenugreek) were blended to powder and oil was extracted by soxhlet extraction method. Proximate composition of both powder and oil was then carried out to determine the profile. DPPH radical scavenging activity of the powder, oil and the standard ascorbic acid were also evaluated and their IC₅₀ established. Obtained results of the proximate analysis showed the following composition for powder: moisture content 3.54±0.42%, ash content 3.37±0.08%, protein 19.3±0.35%, fat 4.14±0.11% and crude fiber 7.05±2.24%. The oil extract contains moisture content 9.70±0.41%, ash content 3.80±0.61%, protein 22.3±0.71%, fat 7.20±0.33% and crude fiber 8.16±0.64%. The DPPH radical scavenging activity revealed an IC₅₀ value of 177.83 µg/ml for the powder and 133.66 µg/ml for the oil, while that of the standard, ascorbic acid, was found to be 89.13 µg/ml. Since a lower IC₅₀ value translates to more potency of the extracts to scavenge free radicals, it then means that with reference to the standard used, the oil is more potent than the powder since it has a lower IC₅₀ value. These results has potential of conferring protective property of Fenugreek oil against certain diseases which could be due to its high radical scavenging and antioxidant activities.