Biochemical studies on milk thistle : (silybum marianum l.)‎

Abstract EN

This investigation was undertaken to study the chemical composition of Milk thistle seeds and evaluate their extracts as antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity.

Milk thistle seeds contained 0.5% moisture, 0.7% ash, 22% crude protein, 25% total lipid (fixed oil ), 24.22% total carbohydrate, 1.5% fiber, 0.02% carotene, 2.4% total flavonoids, and 0.48% phenolic compounds.

Oleic (35.98%) and linoleic (31.51) and represented the major fatty acids followed by palmitic (14.7%), stearic (8.9%), myristic ( 2.6%), behenic(1.9%), arachidic (1.8%) and linolenic (1.4%) acids.

Different extracts were obtained from defatted milk thistle seeds by using hot water, methanol and ethanol and evaluated as antioxidants and free radical scavenges at different concentrations, 1,5 and lOmg/ml.

It was found that methanol extract has the higher biological effect.

Key words: Milk thistle, Silymarin, Chemical composition, Fatty acid, Antioxidant, Free radical.