The total phenolic content of the extract in standard batches was determined following the method of Singleton and Rossi (1965), using the Foline Ciocalteu phenol reagent.
The absorbance at l ¼ 760 nm was determined at room temperature using a Cary UV/ Vis spectrophotometer (Varian, Palo Alto, CA, USA).
Quantification was based on a standard curve generated using gallic acid.
The results were expressed as mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dry weight (dw) of the extract ± standard deviation (SD).