Thermal Treatment (Hydrodistillation) on The Biomass of Ficus hispida L. f.: Volatile Organic Compounds Yield, Phytochemical Composition, and Antioxidant Activity Evaluation

In this study, a new method for biomass thermal treatment was introduced. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of Ficus hispida biomass were obtained via hydrodistillation. The qualitative analysis of VOCs performed by GC-MS and GC-FID techniques identified pentadecanal (14.65%), 2-(E)-hexenal (11.15%), and 2-butyl-5-methyl-2-hexenoic acid ethyl ester (8.53%) as the major compounds. The chemical components varied significantly from the previous study. The results of the DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP methods gave IC50 and antioxidant capacity values of 3.08 +/- 0.024 mg/mL, 0.44 +/- 0.009 mg/mL, and 135.64 +/- 25.49 mM/g, respectively. From the results, the VOCs distilled from F. hispida leaves have an antioxidant property that can be utilized as a natural botanical supplement as an antioxidant and preservative. In addition, the present research offers additional scientific support and a chemical basis for future natural drug discovery.