Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Properties of Medicinal Plant Malva sylvestris L.

The leaves and petioles of Malva sylvestris L. were analyzed for their proximate composition, fatty acid composition, mineral content, total flavonoids and mucilage. The antioxidant capacities of samples were estimated using Folin-Ciocalteu (FC), Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), 2,2''-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric-reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) radical scavenging assays. The anti-nutritive compounds, tannin and nitrate were also quantified. The results showed that linolenic, linoleic, palmitic and oleic acids were measured more than 82% of total fatty acids in leaves and petioles. GC-MS analysis of methanolic extract revealed that 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol was the major compound in the extract. Analysis of variance was showed that genotype and plant part were important sources of variability in the measured properties. Finally, antioxidant capacities of the Malva sylvestris L. were compared with spinach.