Phenolic profiling and antioxidant capacity of Morchella esculenta L. by chemical and electrochemical methods at multiwall carbon nanotube paste electrode

The present investigation was carried out to know the aboriginal usage of Morchella esculenta L. as an ethnomedicinal food by tribals of Kashmir, an extreme northern state of India for curing of arthritis, osteoporosis, general bone weakness and cure child labour pain and post menopause pain of women. The average long-life expectancy (~ 80 years) and delayed aging ensured the abundant use of M. esculenta L. as the bases of their daily foods as well as their traditional medicine. The antioxidant character of this mushroom was carried out by chemical and electrochemical assays. The chemical assay was done by DPPH, nitric- oxide, super-oxide scavenging and reducing power while as, electrochemical assay was done by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) using multi-wall carbon nanotube paste electrode (MWCNTPE) at 0.02 M acetate buffer (pH 4.5). The phenolic profiling of the mushroom was evaluated through Folin–Ciocalteu reagent using gallic acid/ascorbic acid as standard which were qualified and quantified by HPLC-UV technique, respectively. The IC50 values found were 57.02 µg ml−1, 58.02 µg ml−1 and 40.01 µg ml−1 for DPPH, nitric-oxide and superoxide. The electrochemical results have shown one oxidation potential at 1.12 V and positive potential at 1.119 ± 0.01 V in CV and 1.19 V in DPV. DPV at superoxide radical scavenging level of mushroom at dropping mercury electrode (DME) in 0.1 M KCl, produced a reduction peak potential at − 0.160 V. HPLC-UV have confirmed the presence of eight phenolic compounds namely, p-coumaric acid, tocopherol, catechol, rutin, hyperoside, quercetin, ellagic acid and cinnamic acid with quercetin at highest percentage (169.76%).