PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND QUANTIFICATION OF TOTAL FLAVONOIDS OF CANNED WHITE ASPARAGUS (ASPARAGUS OFFICINALIS)

The present research had been conducted with phytochemical screening to identify the presence of secondary metabolites in canned white asparagus. Using colored reactive substances we intend to determine the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, leucoanthocyanidins, tannins, saponins, quinones, triterpenes and anthocyanins. Using ultraviolet spectroscopy we also intend to quantify the total flavonoids. The research has found that the presence of alkaloids is questionable, Flavonoids are good, leucoanthocyanidins are moderate, tannins are not shown, saponins are moderate, quinones are low, triterpenes are not present and anthocyanins are not shown. The research has also found that the total flavonoids in canned asparagus are 1.16 mg of quercetin equivalent to one gram of dry sample, or 9.34 mg of quercetin equivalent to 100 g of drained sample. From the analysis we can conclude that even though the preserved white asparagus are sterilized, they keep the good amount of flavonoids, which are very important for the health of consumers.