Phenolic Composition and Antioxidant Potential of Different Parts of Tunisian Myrtuscommunis L.

Myrtuscommunis L. is an aromatic medicinal shrub, widely used for its richness on the bioactive compounds that contribute biological activities and therapeutic benefits.The present work aimed to evaluate the phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of different parts of Myrtuscommunis L. (leaves, berries, seeds and epicarp) from Tunisia. Totalphenolics, flavonoids, tannins and condensed tannins were quantified, and antioxidant activity was assessed using the DPPH radical scavenging assay. The results revealed significant variations in phenolic content among the different aqueous extracts. Leaf extract had higher total phenol content (248.65 ± 0.93 mg GAE /g DM), than seed (161.62 ± 4.68 mg GAE /g DM), whole fruit (119.35 ± 0.37 mg GAE /g DM) and epicarp (93.26 ± 5.86 mg GAE /g DM) extracts. Significant differences were also observed in total flavonoid contents, the highest value found in leaf extract (114.06 ± 1.57 mg QE/g DM), followed by whole fruit (97.59 ± 4.83 mg QE/g DM) than epicarp (73.67 ± 1.5 mg QE/g DM) extracts and the lowest recorded for the seeds extract (4.13 ± 0.26mg QE/g DM). Concerning total tannins, the highest values were revealed in theseed extract (42.17 ± 0.2 mg TAE / g DM)(predominant hydrolysable tannins), and in the leaf extract (36.16 ± 4.12 mg TAE / g DM) (predominant condensed tannins).All parts exhibited notable antioxidant potential, with seed and leaf extracts showed the highest activity (4.13± 0.1and 2.48 ± 0.04 µg / mL, respectively). These findings highlight the potential of Myrtuscommunis extracts as natural alternatives to synthetic antioxidants and as promising ingredients in the development of functional foods.